What sparked Georgie Gardner’s alleged ‘heated incident’ in the Channel Nine newsroom – as her staggering six-figure salary to appear on TV twice a week is revealed
EXCLUSIVE
Georgie Gardner has been spotted looking unkempt and stressed after revelations Nine is investigating claims she lost her temper with a young female colleague during an incident on set last month.
The well-known presenter was seen crying in her car on Monday morning after being in a “very lively” conversation on her phone for more than an hour.
The veteran newsreader still had bags under her eyes when she later ordered a cup of coffee at the popular Cafe Mosman, near her palatial home on Sydney’s affluent Lower North Shore.
The sighting comes just one day after it was revealed Nine was investigating Gardner after receiving a complaint about an alleged “heated” spray she had in the network’s Sydney studios.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal the star newsreader is accused of getting into a fight with a young female staff member when she disappeared from the air after presenting the news bulletin on August 31.
It is believed that the alleged incident was caused by a problem with the autocue.
Nine launched an internal investigation into the alleged meeting after the producer, who Daily Mail Australia declined to name, made an official complaint.
Following the alleged incident, Gardner was out of work as a news anchor for two weeks.
Georgie Gardner has been spotted looking stressed and disheveled after revelations emerged she is being investigated by Nine over an alleged spray she gave a junior female staffer at the network’s Sydney studio
Gardner presents Nine’s news bulletin on the night of her alleged on-set tirade
But she returned to the airwaves last Friday night, with colleagues reportedly confirming that she had indeed been on leave.
The internal investigation could not have come at a worse time for the network’s highly paid newsreader, nor for Nine.
The longtime anchor’s contract is one of several being closely watched by the company’s financial controllers as the cash-strapped network desperately tries to rein in costs.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal that the Sydney presenter currently earns $600,000 a year to deliver the news two nights a week.
The staggering salary is a legacy of Gardner’s short-lived reign as co-host of the network’s Today Show, alongside fellow newsreader Deb Knight, in 2019, following Nine’s failed experiment with a new all-female line-up.
According to insiders within the network, the deal was no longer “justifiable” and she was among the stars expected to take a significant pay cut in the coming months.
The star was seen for the first time on Monday since news of the internal investigation broke
Georgie Gardner and Deb Knight co-hosted Nine’s Today morning program together for a year – along with then newsreader Tom Steinfort – in 2019 before the experiment was deemed a failure
Nine cut almost 200 jobs across its television, radio and newspaper empire last month in a bid to shave $30 million from its operating budget.
More cuts are on the way, with the company’s chief financial officer warning that the media giant is looking to cut another $50 million from underlying costs this fiscal year.
Insiders have revealed that the contracts of all the network’s television stars are currently being “reviewed” as part of a strict cost-cutting exercise. No one is safe.
The controversial broadcaster is also conducting an investigation into the culture in its newsroom, following complaints of widespread bullying and intimidation.
Gardner remained behind closed doors on Sunday as news of the internal investigation into her alleged conduct became public.
There is no suggestion that Gardner has engaged in inappropriate behavior. It is merely stated that a complaint has been filed and an investigation is underway.
The star walked her dog through the tree-lined streets surrounding her Mosman home on Monday morning.
Gardner spent an hour in a ‘very lively’ conversation on her mobile phone before going for coffee at the popular Cafe Mosman on Military Road on Monday morning
The star was seen wearing a ‘post-surgery’ shoe on her left foot while walking her dog
She then drove alone for a short distance before stopping outside the cafe on Military Road and making a phone call from her parked car.
Witnesses said she was on her cell phone for more than an hour and could be seen “rubbing her hands through her hair” and “drying her eyes” during the intense conversation before going for a morning coffee.
“She looked clearly upset in the car. Even as she walked past you could see she was having a very lively conversation,” a witness told Daily Mail Australia.
Nine has declined to discuss the complaint against Gardner.
However, the network’s director of news and current affairs, Fiona Dear, said in a statement: “Georgie Gardner is a highly respected and long-standing member of our Nine News team. We will have no further comment.”
The accusation isn’t the only battle Gardner is currently fighting.
The news anchor was seen wearing a ProCare “post-op” shoe on her left foot as she drank her coffee on Monday, fueling speculation that her recent leave was related to medical tragedies.
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