Kerri-Anne Kennerley has landed a new job, just weeks after she bid farewell to Channel Ten panel show Studio 10. And the veteran broadcaster is taking a break from the small screen it seems, and trying her hand at live theatre.
According to Channel Seven entertainment editor Peter Ford, Kerri-Anne will be taking to the stage at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre next month after bagging a role in musical ‘Pippin’. And she has reportedly even been attending circus school in preparation.
“The role that Kerri-Anne will be playing is really just one scene and one big number,” Ford said on The Morning Show on Thursday. “But it’s a show-stopping number. You basically walk in there, steal the show and go home. It’s a great gig for her.”
The news that Kerri-Anne had been sacked was first revealed by Mumbrella in August, after the industry publication reportedly saw internal documents from Ten detailing the cost-saving measures. Staff at the network were notified about the cuts in an all-staff email sent on the same day. And the 66-year-old presenter wasted no time in discussing the life-changing news as she openly discussed the axing live on air the following day.
“It’s very, very tough for a lot of people,” she said. “But I’ve always worked on a personal level, the Charles Darwin theory that says to survive you don’t have to be the most intelligent, you don’t have to be the strongest, but you have to be [to survive] the most adaptable.
“I have had such a good time, with all my new friends, and I don’t say that lightly because you’ve all been so delightful, so charming and so generous … I’ve had a ball. But, if you are being run out of town, get in front of the parade … or get in front of the crowd and make it look like a parade.”
Kerri-Anne then added: “It is what it is … it’s not the first time, unfortunately. I am very, very sad because I will miss you guys, miss the audience, miss the feedback. But it is what it is. You just have to suck it up and move on.”
Several other stars have also left Studio 10 in recent weeks, including fellow panellist Joe Hildebrand and news reader Natarsha Belling.