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Surprising detail in Carrie Bickmore's Project farewell

Carrie Bickmore broke down in tears on The Project as she said goodbye to her co-workers and viewers on Wednesday. While it was an emotional farewell for the 41-year-old, there was one shocking snub.

Lisa Wilkinson, who co-hosted The Project alongside Carrie for five years, was nowhere to be seen during the episode. An array of Ten celebrities shared favourite memories and best wishes for Carrie on camera, including Rove McManus, Dave Hughes, Fifi Box and Rachel Corbett.

Carrie Bickmore with her hands on her face on The Project during her farewell
The Project's Carrie Bickmore was emotional during her final episode. Photo: Ten

Those who were unable to appear in the studio had the option to record their tributes in advance, something that Lisa didn’t choose to do. Lisa resigned from the show last month as part of the mass exodus leaving The Project.

Her glaring absence from Carrie’s celebrations added fuel to the fire surrounding rumours that the pair have been embroiled in a feud since 2018.

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When Lisa first joined The Project, Carrie was apparently ‘furious’ that her new co-host was being paid four times more than she received.

“[She is] pissed off at Wilkinson being shipped in to sit alongside her,” a source told the Daily Telegraph at the time. According to the publication, Carrie was reportedly earning a measly $500,000 per year compared to Lisa’s rumoured 2.3 million dollar deal.

Carrie Bickmore and Lisa Wilkinson on the red carpet for The Sunday Project
Lisa's absence has ignited rumours about her feud with Carrie. Photo: Getty

Both presenters have rubbished claims of a feud, with Carrie congratulating Lisa on Instagram when she first secured the Project gig.

“All class Lisa. Congrats on an incredible stint at Today babe. Hope you enjoyed your sleep in and can’t wait to see your beaming face on The Project soon,” she wrote in her caption.

Lisa also addressed the rumours during an interview with news.com.au, saying that any reports about their feud were ‘complete fiction’.

“We refuse to engage in it, because it would only give it credibility and there is no truth to it. Carrie and I have been mates for years,” she said at the time.

“It’s really disappointing that for some reason there’s a belief…that two strong women can’t work together and support each other and enjoy working together.”

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Peter Helliar's brutal swipe towards Carrie

This comes after Carrie revealed the hilarious way panellist Peter Helliar reacted to the news she was leaving the show.

Peter announced his shock exit from the Channel Ten show last week, just two days after Lisa Wilkinson told viewers she was leaving.

Carrie and Peter discussed their departures on Carrie’s Hit Network radio show Carrie & Tommy on Thursday and gave listeners a little more insight into what happened behind the scenes.

Peter will sit at the desk for the last time on December 7, and he told the hosts that he feels “amazing” about his choice to leave.

“You make the decision, you second-guess yourself for a little while and you know you have to announce it…[but] doing it last night just felt really lovely,” he explained.

Carrie Bickmore and Peter Helliar on the set of The Project
Carrie Bickmore shared a sweet tribute to Peter Helliar after his announcement. Photo: Instagram/bickmorecarrie

Carrie said she remembers exactly what Peter said when she told him she was leaving the show, saying ‘it still makes her laugh’.

“You said something so quickly — ‘The show will be fine!’,” she said, before bursting into laughter. “And then later you texted me and you were like, ‘I think I just went into a bit of a shock’.”

The pair’s youngest children are similar in age, and Carrie has previously said a big factor in her decision was being able to spend more time with her children.

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