Kerri-Anne Kennerley fights back tears as she pays tribute to her late husband John on their wedding anniversary – days after being axed from Studio 10
It’s been an emotional week for TV veteran Kerri-Anne Kennerley.
Just days after being sacked by Chanel 10 amid the network’s brutal budget cuts, the 66-year-old returned to screens on Tuesday with a bittersweet tribute to her late husband, John, on what would have been their 36th wedding anniversary.
Kerri-Anne fought back tears as she recalled fond memories of her wedding to John, who died of pneumonia in February last year.
Memories: Studio 10 host Kerri-Anne Kennerley, 66, fought back tears on Tuesday as she paid tribute to her late husband, John, on what would have been their 36th wedding anniversary
‘We had such a fun wedding – and I spoke!’ she said, adding that hers was the first ever wedding to take place at the Sydney Opera House.
‘My husband [was] very English, and after I grabbed the microphone and had a chat… afterwards he said, “You didn’t tell me you were going to speak.”
‘And I’ve gone, “Well I didn’t know at the time!” But, being English, it wasn’t quite in his form, but he got the hint of what was going to be the next 35 years!’
‘We had such fun’: Kerri-Anne fought back tears as she recalled fond memories of her wedding to John, who died of pneumonia in February last year. Pictured on their wedding day in 1984
When her fellow panellist Joe Hildebrand asked about her favourite memories of John, Kerri-Anne responded with a smile: ‘It was the feeling that John gave me… and I just remember those very, very well.’
John became paralysed from the neck down in March 2016, when he slipped off a balcony at a Coffs Harbour golf resort. The retired mathematician was 75 at the time.
He spent his final three years unable to move, feed himself or speak, and Kerri-Anne became his primary carer.
Tragic: John became paralysed from the neck down in March 2016, when he slipped off a balcony at a Coffs Harbour golf resort. The retired mathematician spent his final three years unable to move, feed himself or speak, and Kerri-Anne became his primary carer
Elsewhere in the segment, Kerri-Anne spoke about how she deals with painful memories of John’s declining health.
‘As soon as you find something that prickles a little bit you go, “What are the happy memories attached to that?”‘ she said.
Last week, Kerri-Anne fought back tears again as she spoke about being sacked from Studio 10 as part of the network’s brutal budget cuts.
Changing her mindset: Elsewhere in the segment, Kerri-Anne spoke about how she deals with painful memories of John’s declining health. ‘As soon as you find something that prickles a little bit you go, “What are the happy memories attached to that?”‘ she said. Pictured in 2001
She acknowledged that the coronavirus pandemic had made it necessary to tighten the budget, and thanked her friends and colleagues for their support.
‘I just know I’m back on the ‘lazy Susan’ of television. Yeah, it’s very, very tough for a lot of people,’ she said.
Despite her abrupt sacking, New Idea reported on Monday that she was planning her next move and looking at a presenting role on Sky News.
The publication added that the TV icon might alternatively move back to her original network, Channel Nine, and reboot her talk show Midday.
Kerri-Anne could also join Nine’s reboot of The Celebrity Apprentice, which is set to start filming later this year.
Upset: Kerri-Anne fought back tears last week as she spoke about being sacked from Studio 10 as part of the network’s brutal budget cuts