TV veteran Georgie Gardner slapped down a junior female producer with a crushing outburst, telling her to ‘grow up!’ during a row over scripts.
Sources at Nine have revealed the new details of the fiery in-studio clash that prompted a complaint last month.
The star newsreader – who earns $600,000 a year to present the news twice a week – blew up at the junior colleague over the Saturday night news bulletin on August 31.
A TV source told Daily Mail Australia the alleged incident was sparked over the way Gardner’s scripts had been prepared prior to going on air.
‘Georgie turned up in a terrible mood,’ they said.
‘She didn’t think the rundown was satisfactory or the way the intros (to news stories) were written – and basically said it was s***.
‘The mood was tense and she insisted on rewriting the intros herself.
‘The junior producer (who Daily Mail Australia has chosen not to name) said she wasn’t finished with them yet, prompting Georgie to walk behind her and snap at her to “grow up”.’
According to the source, the heated argument continued into the studio as the scripts were loaded into the teleprompter.
At least part of the exchange was allegedly recorded and handed over to management for an internal inquiry following an official complaint.
‘It was intense but a lot of people were there and witnessed the argument,’ the source said.
Above, Georgie Gardner presents Nine’s news bulletin on the night of her alleged on-set tirade
Gardner was spotted looking distressed and dishevelled on Monday following revelations she is being investigated at Nine over the alleged spray
Gardner disappeared from her regular weekend newsreading duties for two weeks following the alleged altercation.
However, she was reportedly on scheduled leave and returned to work last Friday evening.
Nine has refused to publicly comment on the complaint made against Gardner.
However, the network’s director of news and current affairs, Fiona Dear, said in a statement: ‘Georgie Gardner is a highly regarded longstanding member of our Nine News team.
‘We offer no further comment.’
The internal investigation could not come at a worse time for the highly paid Gardner.
The long-serving newsreader’s contract is among those being carefully reviewed by the company’s financial controllers as the cash-strapped network desperately tries to rein in costs.
Gardner’s eye-watering salary is a legacy from her short-lived reign as the network’s Today show co-host in 2019, alongside fellow newsreader Deb Knight, after Nine’s failed experiment with a new all-female line-up.
Georgie Gardner and Deb Knight co-hosted Nine’s Today breakfast show for a year – alongside then newsreader Tom Steinfort – in 2019 before the experiment was considered a failure
The newsreader was seen wearing a ProCare ‘post-op’ shoe on her left foot while having her coffee on Monday, fuelling speculation her recent leave is related to medical dramas
Senior network insiders said the deal was ‘no longer justifiable’ and that she was among a number of key stars expected to take massive pay cuts in the coming months.
Gardner remained behind close doors on Sunday as news of the internal investigation into her alleged behaviour was made public.
It is not suggested that Gardner engaged in any improper conduct, only that a complaint has been made and an investigation is taking place.
The star ventured out on Monday morning to take her dog for a walk through the tree-lined streets around her Mosman home.
At one point the high-profile presenter was seen crying in her car during a long phone conversation.
The accusation is not the only battle Gardner is facing at the moment.
The newsreader was seen wearing a ProCare ‘post-op’ shoe on her left foot while having her coffee on Monday, fuelling speculation her recent leave is related to medical dramas.
Daily Mail Australia has approached Gardner and Nine for comment.
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13888767/Georgie-Gardner-nine.html
