Carrie Bickmore’s The Project co-host Waleed Aly publicly backs her ex Chris Walker

Waleed Aly, presenter of The Project, has rallied behind Chris Walker following the divorce of the TV producer and Carrie Bickmore.

Waleed, who once sat next to Carrie on The Project’s hosting panel, spent Sunday night alongside her ex-partner as they watched an NRL match in Sydney.

Chris posted a photo to Instagram Stories sharing a photo of the pair smiling in the stands wearing West’s Tigers merchandise.

The pair sported a matching grin as they lovingly leaned in to each other for the photo.

“Second best Tigers date after Evie,” Chris captioned the post, presumably referring to the birth of his eight-year-old daughter Evie.

Waleed is the second of Carrie’s former stars on the Channel 10 panel show to throw their support behind Chris.

In January, Peter Helliar also supported the embattled producer in a series of Instagram Stories.

Peter posed next to Chris in a photo that appeared to have been taken during a pub outing with ABC’s Leigh Sales, comedian Anthony Lehmann and cricketer Adam Gilchrist.

The comedian put his arm around Chris at an image that Leigh captioned, “Enjoying being a guest of honor for the arvo with these top lads.”

It comes three months after Carrie announced in January that she was splitting with her longtime partner Chris, saying the pair are focusing on co-parenting their three children. Taking a picture together

Waleed is the second of Carrie’s former stars on the Channel 10 panel show to throw their support behind Chris. In January, Peter Helliar (second from the right) also supported the controversial producer in a series of Instagram Stories

It comes three months after Carrie announced in January that she was splitting with her longtime partner Chris, saying the pair are focusing on co-parenting their three children.

She had been in a relationship with Walker for 11 years.

“It is with immense sadness that Chris and I have decided to part ways,” she wrote in a statement on Instagram.

“While this is a difficult time, our focus is on parenting, loving and supporting our three children Ollie, Evie and Addie with everything we have.

‘They’re doing great. We will not comment further.’

The love story of Bickmore and Walker captured the hearts of Australians.

Carrie is pictured with her former co-stars Waleed and Peter

They met as colleagues on The Project – she was a presenter and he was a producer – and they started dating in late 2012, two years after she lost her husband Greg Lange, the father of her eldest child Ollie, 15, to brain cancer.

Despite his terminal diagnosis, Bickmore had married Lange in 2005 when she was just 25 years old.

After Lange died in 2010 at the age of 35, a widowed Bickmore started the charity Carrie’s Beanies for Brain Cancer in memory.

Two years later, Bickmore had found love again with Walker, who became a stepfather to Oliver, and with whom she later had Evie, born in 2015, and Adelaide, born in 2018.

It follows that Carrie, 42, has grown close to her Hit Network co-host Tommy Little, 38, following their respective breakup.

Walker became a stepfather to Carrie’s son Oliver, 15, and the couple later had two daughters: Evie, born in 2015, and Adelaide, born in 2018. All pictured

Tommy rushed to Carrie’s side in January when she confirmed her marriage was divorced in January, leading insiders to speculate their friendship could evolve into something more.

Their professional relationship began in 2016 when Tommy joined Carrie on The Project’s panel.

A year later, the pair embarked on Hit Network’s Melbourne drive show together in 2017, gaining instant cult status thanks to their entertaining and organic banter.

In February 2021, it was reported that Tommy had separated from his ex Natalie Kyriacou after a year of dating.

It follows that Carrie, 42, has grown close to her Hit Network co-host Tommy Little, 38, (left) following their split from Chris Walker and Natalie Kyriacou