Entertainment

Peter Stefanovic returns to TV as he opens up on his ‘challenging’ departure from Nine

Feb 06, 2019

Peter Stefanovic made an unexpected appearance on Sky News' The Front Page on Tuesday night. Source: Getty

Peter Stefanovic, who abruptly quit Nine in December after speculation bosses were going to give him the boot, returned to television on Tuesday night.

The former Weekend Today presenter made an unexpected appearance on Sky News’ The Front Page last night, where he discussed his departure from Nine, telling host Peter Gleeson that the past two months had been challenging but he was using his time off to “reset”.

Stefanovic said: “Well, you know, it hasn’t been without its challenges, that’s for sure.

“Believe it or not, I’m usually quite a shy sort of person, so seeing so much negativity play out in the press for weeks and months on end does have its challenges and can be difficult to deal with at times.”

The 37-year-old was caught up in the Ubergate scandal in March that caused a PR crisis for the Stefanovic brothers and Nine, after they were caught complaining about their colleagues and positions at the network.

.@peterstefanovic: It hasn’t been without its challenges. Seeing so much negativity play out in the press for months can be difficult at times.

I just choose to focus on work. I had 15 wonderful years at channel nine.

MORE: https://t.co/jvAwqcR6SA #frontpage pic.twitter.com/6ZIk7x0wRv

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) February 5, 2019

Stefanovic told Gleeson he was now just trying to focus on work.

“It’s what I’ve always done,” he said. “I had 15 wonderful years at Channel 9 now this a great opportunity to kind of reset and try new projects, which is very exciting.

”You’ve sort of got to put things into perspective as well: look at the difficulties that the people of Tasmania are going through at the moment, or even the people of Townsville as well, so my problems are very small compared to theirs. A lot of people don’t have their homes anymore, which is awfully tragic. So, I’ve had some difficulties but it’s a good time now.”

The younger Stefanovic shot to fame as Nine’s foreign correspondent, covering stories in Europe and the Middle East for eight years. He eventually decided to quit that role after starting a relationship with fellow Nine journalist Sylvia Jeffreys. The pair met when filling in on the Today Show together in 2014.

Stefanovic was still working overseas at the time, but soon moved backed home to be with Jeffreys. They married in 2017.

It comes after Nine announced Jeffreys will be joining A Current Affair following her shock departure from the Today show last December

In a statement to Starts at 60, the network said the 32-year-old would be working across “a few departments”, including the Tracy Grimshaw-led evening program. While her role on the show is yet to be confirmed, it’s likely she’ll be reporting on some of the breaking stories directly in the field.

“Sylvia is working on some projects close to her heart across a few departments, including A Current Affair. We’ll have more to announce soon,” a Nine spokesperson said.

Sylvia originally announced she was leaving the Today show in December. Her exit follows that of her brother-in-law Karl Stefanovic, who was reportedly axed from the show, long-standing entertainment reporter Richard Wilkins, who has been moved over to Today Extra, and former sports reporter Tim Gilbert.