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His pregnant sister-in-law Sylvia Jeffreys ended up landing one of the empty hot seats on the Today hosting team, but insiders reveal Karl Stefanovic had been gunning for network bosses to take him back – again! – amid fears his podcast could implode. Karl, 52, is battling his former business partner Keshnee Ibrahim for her equal stake in the podcast business, with the duo facing off in court after the “irreconcilable breakdown” in their relationship. “A return to TV would be an easy solution for Karl, who is in all sorts of strife with this podcast,” an insider says. “Income wise,it would give him security.” The behind-the-scenes messiness with Keshnee – a long-time friend of Karl’s wife Jasmine – was the reason for the podcast’s unexplained hiatus until September 16,…

Sarah Abo’s unexpected resignation from Today while three months into her maternity leave was the latest dramatic turn in a rather tumultuous year for the morning show. “Becoming a mum has heralded a new chapter,” Sarah said about leaving Nine after seven years across 60 Minutes and Today. “I’ll miss you all dearly.” While the first-time mum is no doubt soaking up life as a family of three with husband Cyrus Moran and their baby boy, Sonny, there have been rumblings about rival network Channel Seven poaching her for a plum gig in Melbourne. The new mum’s shock decision to quit effectively sped up the announcement of Sylvia, who is pregnant with her third child, and Tom Steinfort as the new Today hosting team. The line-up has been months in…

Ex-Sunrise host Mark Beretta has done the impossible – getting his morning show rivals all in one place. In the first episode of his new podcast, Beretts’ Best, Karl and David Koch joined him as guests. However, an insider has revealed that while Karl seemed jovial, the timing was poor – and he may have felt embarrassed to be a guest. “He appeared to be seemingly overwhelmed by the whole experience,” says the insider. “Perhaps because he realises, and is a little envious, that Beretts’ podcast concept might well have better legs than his – even before it blew up spectacularly and became a legal minefield with his producer.”…

From a blind date to walking down the aisle! Two years after they were set up by a mutual friend, Olympic swimmer Ariarne Titmus and Mac Powell are ready to make things official. “You + me forever,” Ariarne shared on Instagram, alongside photos of the moment Mac proposed. The Melbourne investment analyst went all out for the milestone occasion, getting down on one knee on Ariarne’s 26th birthday during a trip to the stunning Greek island of Mykonos. “Island hopping and the best birthday ever,” she wrote on another holiday post. Following tradition, Mac even flew to Brisbane to ask Ariarne’s dad, Channel Seven presenter Steve Titmus, for his daughter’s hand in marriage! “Mac did the right thing, he did come and ask me a few weeks ago,” Steve revealed.…

Most family members fight over money when a wealthy relative passes, but a different kind of war has erupted in the Parton family. In the weeks since they lost their beloved Dolly, the siblings have been divided over who can and can’t talk about their country-star sister, who always kept her private life as Mrs Carl Dean firmly away from the public eye. “Freida broke ranks and poured her heart out about her part-big-sister-part-mum just days after she died,” a source says. “Stella’s taken it further by spilling details about Dolly and Carl’s marriage. They’ve all had offers for interviews, book publishing rights and any unseen photos of Dolly.”…

Some friends may worry Jim Curtis is with Jennifer Aniston for her fame, but she’s clearly blocking out the sceptics. After her appearance at Jim’s New York book event helped sell tickets, Jen, 57, posted on Instagram, “I love this book,” followed by a couples’ photo with the caption, “And I love this man.” An insider says, “She’s had friends try to warn her about Jim using her, but they soon find out the hard way she’s not interested in hearing it. Those public declarations were her way of saying ‘back off’. She refuses to consider he’s not the real deal.”…

Ten years after their split, exes Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber just may be the friendliest exes ever. The co-parents were out in New York on September 11 to cheer on their model daughter Kai, and Naomi couldn’t resist having a little play with Liev’s three-year-old daughter Hazel Bee. Although Naomi and Liev never married, both tied the knot to other people justweeks apart in 2023 – Liev to Taylor Neisen and Naomi to actor Billy Crudup. Now they’re one big blended group, with the exes co-parenting Kai and her older brother Sasha, 19, and little Hazel completing the modern family. “We’re doing things very differently,” Naomi said. “I’m pretty proud of us, corny as that may sound. We’ve made it our absolute priority to be good and kind to…

SHOW OF UNITY Tom Hardy’s never had a reputation for being the warmest actor on set, but his MobLand co-star Helen Mirren has shown there’s no truth to the rumours they’ve been secretly feuding. Tom, 49, and Helen, 81, hugged and chatted at the London premiere of Season 2, four months on from reports Tom’s future on the show was “in limbo” after he butted heads with production crews and supposedly left Helen and their co-star, Pierce Brosnan, waiting to film. Helen later put any issues down to a “clash of styles” and stated “different actors have different processes”, which many took as a sign of tension between them. However, Tom nixed the talk of any bad blood last week. “I love Helen. She’s my friend,” he said at the…

Mother Monster surprised even her most devoted fans with news she’s secretly become a mother in real life! Lady Gaga was spied strolling around Northern California with her newborn baby tucked close to her chest, as her fiancé Michael Polansky walked beside them. “They both took time out to bond with their baby – they only told their family and insisted it be kept quiet for as long as possible,” a source tells New Idea. “She and Michael are closer than ever – they’re even enjoying bonding over the midnight feeds! She’s a wonderful, hands-on mum.” The singer, 40, managed to pull off the near impossible in Hollywood by keeping their baby news under wraps. Just weeks ago, there were reports Gaga had gone to ground after wrapping up her…