Carrie Bickmore's replacements named
Network Ten has appointed two new people who will replace Carrie Bickmore’s position on The Project.
Chrissie Swan and Georgie Tunny, who both regularly appear on the show, will take turns co-hosting the news program with regulars Waleed Aly and Peter Helliar.
“Chrissie and Georgie are well known and loved by Project viewers and I am delighted to see them both take larger hosting roles,” executive producer Chris Bendall told The Daily Telegraph.
“We have a lot of exciting plans for the show this year. Carrie’s seat is in safe hands until she returns mid-year with Chrissie and Georgie joining Lisa (Wilkinson) who will continue to deliver outstanding feature stories from around the country alongside her existing hosting duties.”
Channel 10 later confirmed the news in a statement: “Friends of The Project, Chrissie Swan and Georgie Tunny, will join hosts Lisa Wilkinson, Waleed Aly, Peter Helliar, Hamish Macdonald and Tommy Little while Carrie Bickmore and her family go on a well-deserved adventure.”
The news comes as Carrie Bickmore, 41, revealed that she would be leaving the show for a few months to temporarily relocate to the UK with her family.
She shared the news on Tuesday night’s episode saying it was her family's "last chance" to embark on the adventure with her eldest son in tow.
“In April I’m going to be taking a few months off The Project desk,” she began.
“[Partner] Chris and I and the kids are heading off on a family adventure together."
“We figure it’s never going to be the perfect time to go and it’s something we really want to do before my son starts his final years at school, so we’re doing term two in the UK. So I will be off for a couple of months.”
Carrie further explained her move on Instagram, saying it was something that her and Chris had “dreamed of for a while now”.
“One of the unexpected silver linings to come out of living through Melbourne’s lockdowns was the extended family time and we feel like this is our last chance to do something like this together before Ollie hits the pointy end of his schooling and no longer wants to hang out with us so … we are heading to the UK for a school term,” she explained.
Carrie has been on the desk since 2009, and after 13 years as a co-host of The Project, she felt it was time to take “a little like long service leave”.
She will continue to co-host the Hit network’s Carrie and Tommy Show each afternoon with The Project colleague Tommy Little.
Carrie has also already quietly sold her Melbourne home in the lead up to her move.
Image: Instagram