Network Ten has quashed rumours Carrie Bickmore will leave The Project to make way for Lisa Wilkinson.
The rumour mill went into overdrive on Tuesday after Wilkinson spectacularly quit her long-term Today hosting role with Nine before announcing she would be moving to the Ten network next year.
With the host line-up on The Project already full to bursting, many were left speculating as to what that would mean for Ten's golden girl Bickmore with the introduction of fresh blood onto the panel.
But The Project's executive producer Craig Campbell said he was excited Wilkinson would join the show's familiar faces, highlighting the strength of the show's two female presenters.
"Lisa will be hosting our new Sunday edition of the show and joining the program during the week to share her expertise and insights with Carrie, Waleed and Pete," he said. "I believe our trio is already the best on TV and they are excited to have the chance to play alongside Lisa. We couldn't imagine how our team could have gotten any better until now."
The producer also hosed down speculation that Bickmore, who has been a presenter on The Project for almost 10 years, would trade places with the former Today show host.
"Carrie is contracted to host the show four days a week and that role won't change," he said. "She has been here since day one and has led The Project all the way to the Gold Logie podium. Having these two strong, intelligent and independent women, both at the top of their game, on our team is a privilege."
Bickmore presented the news of Wilkinson's defection to Ten on Tuesday night's The Project, saying: "Her new family, us, are just a little bit excited! OK, we are actually crazy excited."
"Nine's loss is our gain here at Network Ten," Bickmore added. "An incredible woman - smart, funny, down to earth. We couldn't be more excited. ...Congrats, Lisa."
Co-host Waleed Aly chimed in: "I have always really loved Lisa and it is nice to be contractually able to say it now. That makes a big difference."
Wilkinson will host The Sunday Project and its weekday counterpart from January 2018. The weekend program is filmed in Sydney, meaning the TV star won't have to uproot her family and move south.
The weekday program, however, is filmed in Ten's Melbourne studios, meaning Wilkinson will likely have to commute during the week.
The network hasn't said how many days a week Wilkinson will be sitting beside Aly and Bickmore, but travelling interstate wouldn't be unprecedented. Earlier in her career, Bickmore flew once a week from her radio job in Perth to appear on Rove McManus's show, which filmed in Melbourne.
Wilkinson is also due to host two other shows for Ten. While the network is yet to publicly announce what those programs will be, it is understood they'll involve high-profile interviews.
Co-hosting The Project will also allow Wilkinson to let loose, just like she did when she slammed gossip website The Daily Mail for running a story about how she wore the same dress a few months apart. On Today, it was often her co-host Karl Stefanovic who would deliver passionate monologues to the camera.
Wilkinson's announcement has delighted her future co-workers. On Tuesday morning, Studio 10 co-host Ita Buttrose said she and the former Today star "go right back" to their days working at Cleo.
"I started the centrefold, she stopped the centrefold," she quipped.
Fellow panellist Joe Hilderbrand praised Wilkinson's "masterfully executed coup".
"It took everybody by surprise," he said. "Welcome aboard. And just for the record, anybody from Channel Ten watching, I am more than happy to be working for half of Karl Stefanovic's salary."
The Project's Peter Helliar, meanwhile, said she will likely become his third co-host to take out a Gold Logie.
HuffPost Australia's chief executive JJ Eastwood said Wilkinson will continue to juggle her TV commitments and her role at the international news website.
"We're thrilled for Lisa taking on a new role at Network Ten," he said. "There is no change in her ongoing commitment to HuffPost Australia where she remains editor-at-large."
