Kerri-Anne Kennerley (née Wright; born 22 September 1953) is an Australian television and radio presenter, actress and singer. She has more than 50 years in the industry, and is an inductee into the

Logie Hall of Fame The Logie Hall of Fame is a specialised industry-voted award presented annually at the Australian TV Week Logie Awards. It was first awarded at the 26th Annual TV Week Logie Awards held in 1984. The award is given to recognise the outstanding c ...

. Kennerley was a co-host on

Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...

's ''

Studio 10 ''Studio 10'' is an Australian morning talk show on Network 10. The show airs between 8:30am and noon on weekdays and a highlights show airs between 9:30am and noon on weekends. ''Studio 10'' is broadcast live from Network 10 Studios in Pyrm ...

''. She is currently due to star in ''

Pippin Pippin or Pepin may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Pippin (comics), ''Pippin'' (comics), a children's comic produced from 1966 to 1986 * Pippin (musical), ''Pippin'' (musical), a Broadway musical by Stephen Schwartz loosely based on the life ...

'' at the

Sydney Lyric Theatre Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountains ...

as Pippin's grandmother, Berthe.

Career

Kennerley made her first television appearance in 1967 at the age of 14 on the children's shows ''The Channel Niners'' and ''Everybody's In'' on Brisbane's

QTQ QTQ is an Australian television station, licensed to, and serving Brisbane, Queensland. It is owned by the Nine Entertainment Co., and is part of the Nine Network. It broadcasts on VHF Channel 8 (digital). QTQ began broadcasting on 16 August 19 ...

9. After returning to Australia from the US in 1981 she landed the role of Melinda Burgess in TV series ''

The Restless Years ''The Restless Years'' is an Australian soap opera which followed the lives of several Sydney school-leavers and the drama and relationships faced by young adults. It was created by Reg Watson and produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation for N ...

'', a teen-oriented

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

. She hosted the breakfast TV program '' Good Morning Australia on

Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...

'' for 11 years. During the 1980s Kennerley performed as a singer, and released a self-titled album (''Kerri-Anne'') as well as a Christmas album in 1985. Her

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

singing style was parodied by singer and comedian

Gina Riley Gina Riley (born 6 May 1961) is an Australian actress, writer, singer and comedian, known for portraying Kim Craig in the television series ''Kath & Kim'', and for her work in musical theatre. Television and film Riley became a popular televisi ...

on the TV comedy show ''

Fast Forward To fast-forward is to move forwards through a recording at a speed faster than that at which it would usually be played, for example two times or two point five times. The recordings are usually audio, video or computer data. It is colloquially ...

''. She appeared on the television show and later record album '' Andrew Denton's Musical Challenge'' with a rendition of the AC/DC song '' Dirty Deeds''. From 1996 until 1998, she was compere of the daytime-variety TV show ''

Midday Noon (or midday) is 12 12-hour clock, o'clock in the daytime. It is written as 12 noon, 12:00 m. (for 12-hour clock, meridiem, literally 12:00 noon), 12 p.m. (for 12-hour clock, post meridiem, literally "after noon"), 12 pm, or 12:00 (using a 24 ...

''. Hosting duties on the show earned her three

Gold Logie The Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television, commonly referred to simply as the Gold Logie, is an award presented annually at the Australian Logie Awards. The Gold Logie was first awarded at the 2nd Annual TV We ...

nominations. After ''Midday'' ended in late 1998, she joined the ''What's Cooking'' program in 1999. This role (and the program) only lasted a few months. Both ''Midday'' and ''What's Cooking'' aired on the

Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...

. In 2001, she shifted to Network Ten to host the game shows ''

Greed Greed (or avarice) is an uncontrolled longing for increase in the acquisition or use of material gain (be it food, money, land, or animate/inanimate possessions); or social value, such as Social status, status, or Power (social and politica ...

'' and ''Moment of Truth''. Both flopped and lasted only a few episodes. In 2002, she returned to the Nine Network where she hosted ''

Kerri-Anne ''Kerri-Anne'' was an Australian morning television program shown on the Nine Network, hosted by Kerri-Anne Kennerley. It was broadcast on weekdays at 9am for two hours. The final episode of the series was on 25 November 2011. It was replaced by ...

'' (originally titled ''Mornings with Kerri-Anne''). Kennerley moved to the

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...

in 2012, and appeared as a contestant on the network's program ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...

''. A planned prime-time program for the network was put on hold due to Kennerley's cancer battle,Davies, Rebecca (9 April 201
"Kerri-Anne Kennerley lands new Seven Network TV show?"
digitalspy.com.au. Retrieved 10 June 2012. but appeared as a guest reporter on '' Sunday Night'' and as fill-in presenter for

Kylie Gillies Kylie Gillies (born 4 May 1967) is Australian television presenter for the Seven Network, based in Sydney, Australia. Gillies is the co-host of '' The Morning Show'' with Larry Emdur. Career Gillies was born in Tamworth and attended Tamworth Hi ...

on '' The Morning Show''. In September 2013, Kennerley joined Foxtel to present the true crime series ''Behind Mansion Walls'' for the Crime & Investigation Network. The initial order is for 13 one-hour episodes. Kennerley has also been a guest panelist on

's '' The Project''. In 2016, Kennerley spoke out in support of

Sonia Kruger Sonia Melissa Kruger (born 28 August 1965) is an Australian television presenter and media personality, who has been a prominent figure in the media for over 20 years. Kruger is currently the host of '' Big Brother Australia'' and a presenter o ...

who had suggested a ban on Muslims immigrating to Australia. Kruger was later found by the

New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal The New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) is a civil law and administrative law tribunal in New South Wales established by statute on 1 January 2014. It replaced and aggregated the matters of a number of disparate tribunals. ...

to have vilified Muslims. In 2017, Kennerley made a cameo appearance as herself in the first episode of '' The War on Waste.'' Kennerley is an advisor on the fourth season of ''

The Celebrity Apprentice Australia ''The Celebrity Apprentice Australia'' is an Australian reality television series which aired on the Nine Network. Based on NBC's ''The Apprentice'', it first aired on 24 October 2011 and originally featured Mark Bouris, the founder and chairm ...

''. In September 2018, it was announced that Kennerley will be joining ''

'' as co-host. During

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

demonstrations related to the

Extinction Rebellion Extinction Rebellion (abbreviated as XR) is a global environmental movement, with the stated aim of using nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and the risk o ...

in October 2019, Kennerley suggested that people should run over the protesters with their cars as a solution to stopping the campaign from affecting traffic. Commenting on her show ''

'', she said that, "No emergency services should help them, nobody should do anything, leave them there, and you just put little witch's hats around them or use them as speed bumps." She also said in the same segment that an alternative solution would be to starve them in prison. In 2020, it was announced that Kennerley, was one of several Network Ten stars who would be made redundant because of network budget cuts, others include fellow ''Studio 10'' personality and news presenter

Natarsha Belling Natarsha Belling (born 29 May 1970) is an Australian journalist. Belling has previously worked at Network 10 as a television presenter, news presenter and reporter. She spent over two decades with the company until being made redundant in Augu ...

and long time weather presenter

Tim Bailey Tim Bailey (born 19 February 1963) is an Australian journalist, radio and television presenter, sports reporter and weather reporter, best known for his more than 30 year association with Network 10. Biography and career Early journalism career ...

. Following her departure from Studio 10, Kennerley was cast in the featured role of Berthe in ''

'' at the

In 2022 she performed in a celebrity tribute to Australian comedian and actor Paul Hogan, ''Roast of Paul Hogan'', which was broadcast on Australia’s Seven Network.

Personal life

Kennerley was born Kerri-Anne Wright in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, the daughter of a builder/hobby farmer. Along with her three siblings, she was raised in Brisbane's bay-side suburb of Sandgate. During her time in the US, she was married to record producer Jimmy Miller. She has said that he regularly subjected her to physical assaults. She sought support from friend John Kennerley, who helped her leave the abusive marriage. In 1984, she married John Kennerley, who had two children from a previous marriage. In a 2006 interview in ''

The Australian Women's Weekly ''The Australian Women's Weekly'', sometimes known as simply ''The Weekly'', is an Australian monthly women's magazine published by Mercury Capital in Sydney. For many years it was the number one magazine in Australia before being outsold by ...

'', she revealed that they had tried to have children for many years, that she had a miscarriage 15 years ago, and would always regret not having children. In June 2012, Kennerley revealed in an interview in ''

New Idea ''New Idea'' is a long-running Australian weekly magazine aimed at women that is published by Are Media. History The magazine was first published in 1902 by Fitchett Bros. The founder was Thomas Shaw Fitchett. It was subtitled A Women's Home Jou ...

'' magazine that she had

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

. In 2013, she was elected to the board of

Golf Australia Golf Australia is the governing body for the sport of golf in Australia, formed in 2006 after the Australian Golf Union (AGU) and Women's Golf Australia (WGA) agreed to merge.

. In March 2016, her husband was paralysed after injuring his neck in a fall at

Coffs Harbour Coffs Harbour is a city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 as per 2021 census. The Gumbaynggirr ...

. He died in February 2019, aged 78. Kennerley lives in the

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

suburb of

Woollahra Woollahra is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woollahra is located 5 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Woollahra. W ...

Awards and honours

Kennerley was nominated for the

in 1997, 1998 and 1999 for her role as host of ''Midday''. Kennerley was awarded a star on the

Caloundra Caloundra ( ) is a coastal town and the southernmost town in the Sunshine Coast Region in South East Queensland, Australia. Geography Caloundra is north of the Brisbane central business district. Caloundra is accessible from Landsborough ...

Walk of Stars in 1988, between

Leo Sayer Gerard Hugh "Leo" Sayer (born 21 May 1948) is an English-Australian singer and songwriter whose singing career has spanned five decades. He has been an Australian citizen and resident since 2009. Sayer launched his career in the United Kingdom ...

and Lucky Grills. In 2017, she was inducted into the Logie Hall of Fame. In 2018, her portrait appeared on a series of

Australia Post Australia Post, formally the Australian Postal Corporation, is the government business enterprise that provides postal services in Australia. The head office of Australia Post is located in Bourke Street, Melbourne, which also serves as a post o ...

stamps, as part of the "Legends of Television" series

TV and radio work

* ''

'' (1981) * '' Good Morning Australia'' (1981–1991) * 2UE Fill in Announcer (1992–1993) * 2CH Breakfast shift & CEO (1994–1995) * ''

GMA With Bert Newton Good Morning Australia (or ''GMA''), also known as GMA with Bert Newton, originally titled ''The Morning Show'', was an Australian breakfast television variety program on Network Ten hosted by Bert Newton between 20 January 1992 and 16 Decemb ...

'' (1995) (fill in host for

Bert Newton Albert Watson Newton (23 July 1938 – 30 October 2021) was an Australian media personality. He was a Logie Hall of Fame inductee, quadruple Gold Logie award-winning entertainer and radio, theatre and television personality and presenter. Newt ...

) * ''Monday To Friday'' (1995) * '' Midday with Kerri-Anne'' (1996–1998) * '' What's Cooking?'' (1999) * ''Greed'' (2001) * ''Moment of Truth'' (2001) * ''Kerri-Anne at Midday'', Radio Show –

2GB 2GB is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia owned by parent company Nine Radio, a division of Nine Entertainment Co., who also own sister station 2UE. 2GB broadcasts on 873 kHz, AM. In 2010, 2GB held 14.7% of the total rad ...

(2001) * ''

'' (formerly titled ''Mornings with Kerri-Anne'') (Oct 2002 – Nov 2011) * ''

Behind Mansion Walls ''Behind Mansion Walls'' is an American documentary television series on Investigation Discovery that debuted on June 6, 2011. The series, hosted by Christopher Mason, tells the stories of crime and investigation that are unveiled in wealthy fam ...

'' (2011–2013) * ''

'' (2015) * ''

'' (September 2018 – September 2020)

Controversies

In 2010, Kennerley caused controversy while discussing sexual assault allegations involving two

Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed the Magpies or colloquially the Pies, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The club w ...

players, by referring to women who socialize with footballers as "strays" and for suggesting that "responsibility cuts both ways". In 2019, Kennerley made controversial sweeping statements regarding the rape of

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

women and children in "the outback". In 2019, Kennerley made an on-air comment to a young female reporter wearing a playsuit saying "Did you forget your pants today?", following it up with a comment to camera that was construed by commentators as shaming the reporter.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kennerley, Kerri-Anne 1953 births Australian game show hosts Living people Logie Award winners Musicians from Brisbane Audiobook narrators