Did Chris Walker’s nude Skype call scandal give Carrie Bickmore the ‘ick’?

The Project star Carrie Bickmore has shocked Australia with the announcement that she and her longtime partner Chris Walker are separating. 

And while the cause of their split remains unknown, Chris’ infamous ‘nude Skype call’ scandal could well have something to do with it. 

Carrie, 42, was left red-faced in May last year when Chris was caught with his trousers down on a company Skype call. 

The Project star Carrie Bickmore has shocked Australia with the announcement that she and her longtime partner Chris Walker are separating. And while the cause of their split remains unknown, Chris’ infamous ‘nude Skype call’ scandal could well have something to do with it. Pictured: Carrie and Chris in happier times 

Chris, the executive producer of comedy show The Weekly, stripped naked in front of shocked ABC staff after he thought he’d left a video conference on May 17.

He wrongly thought he had left the conference when he took off his clothes in front of up to nine people, with the incident lasting between 40 seconds and two minutes. 

Chris had dialled in while on sabbatical in the UK with Carrie and their three young children, with the faux pas occurring during a meeting following rehearsals and before the taping of The Weekly with Charlie Pickering.

Chris, the executive producer of comedy show The Weekly, stripped naked in front of shocked ABC staff after he thought he’d left a video conference on May 17

Carrie was likely mortified by the incident, as Chris’ gaffe led to an avalanche of embarrassing headlines. 

In a statement at the time, ABC said it was ‘aware of an unintentional incident’.

‘The ABC is in regular communication with the relevant team members and are in the process of developing strategies to ensure an incident of this nature does not occur again,’ it said in a statement.

He wrongly thought he had left the conference when he took off his clothes in front of up to nine people, with the incident lasting between 40 seconds and two minutes 

Following the incident, a staffer accused senior ABC managers of initially brushing off the gaffe as ‘hilarious’ and dismissing employees’ concerns. 

The ABC then reportedly offered counselling to staffers who witnessed the incident.

The staffer also accused the ABC of downplaying the gaffe because Walker’s production company Thinkative Television is behind some of the public broadcaster’s most popular shows, including The Weekly and Hard Quiz.

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Following the incident, a staffer accused senior ABC managers of initially brushing off the gaffe as ‘hilarious’ and dismissing employees’ concerns

‘You’re not allowed plastic bottles in the building, but the nude guy is on the screen [and] that’s hilarious,’ they grumbled.

‘If it was an ABC person [instead of someone from an external production company] they would never be allowed to set foot in the place again.’ 

In June, The Australian reported that Chris was ‘unlikely to face serious sanctions’ for the gaffe. 

The ABC has since offered counselling to staffers who witnessed the incident, The Herald Sun reported 

The public broadcaster reportedly took the incident ‘seriously’ but managers say the steps already taken will ‘probably’ be the end of the matter.

An insider told the newspaper: ‘It was a genuine mistake. Obviously, the ABC is taking it seriously if people were traumatised.

‘But if serious action was taken against Chris Walker for an accidental flash, there’d also be an outcry.’

It wasn’t the first time Chris had accidentally exposed himself during a video call.

In November 2021, Carrie host revealed on her Carrie & Tommy radio show that Walker had strolled naked into the background of a Zoom conference she was doing with other journalists from around the world.

Carrie said she and her partner later laughed about the incident for 45 minutes.

It wasn’t the first time Chris had accidentally exposed himself during a video call. In November 2021, Carrie host revealed on her Carrie & Tommy radio show that Walker had strolled naked into the background of a Zoom conference she was doing with other journalists from around the world 

On Wednesday, Carrie announced that she and Chris had parted ways. 

The TV star made the announcement in an emotional Instagram post, and said the pair are now focusing on co-parenting their three children – Ollie, 15, Evie, seven, and Adelaide, four. 

‘While this is a tough time, our focus is on parenting, loving and supporting our three children Ollie, Evie and Addie with everything that we’ve got. 

‘They are doing great, We won’t be making any further comment.’

It comes after Carrie spoke of her private struggles in a touching farewell letter to The Project’s hair and makeup team after quitting the Channel 10 show in November.

In a handwritten note to her glam squad, the 42-year-old thanked them for helping her get through some of the most challenging times in her professional life.

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The former Project host announced the news in an emotional Instagram post on Wednesday

‘To my hair and makeup family. Crap, I am crying already,’ the letter began.

‘You have held my hand through some of the toughest days in my career. You hear it all, see it all and share it all with me and I can’t explain how much I am going to miss you all.

‘There is an unspoken bond between us all and please never forget how special you all are.

‘I know this is not goodbye, just goodbye for now. Love to you all, Carrie.’

It comes after Carrie spoke of her private struggles in a touching farewell letter to The Project’s hair and makeup team after quitting the Channel 10 show in November

Carrie’s letter was posted on Instagram by makeup artist Julie Bekiri, who also shared a video of the TV presenter laughing in the styling chair while The Project’s glam team worked their magic.

Another picture showed Carrie on set with the hair and makeup staff on her final night on The Project.

‘What can I say about you @bickmorecarrie because words cannot describe the last 10 years or so since we first met,’ Julie captioned her post.

‘I can say is that we have been through so many things together and our chats, laughs and cries in the makeup room have been priceless. 

Another picture showed Carrie with the hair and makeup staff on her final night on The Project 

‘Thank you so much for all your support and friendship and thank you for allowing me to be myself and allow me to express my creativity with you.

‘You always kept me on my toes and constantly told me to stop touching your hair even after I perfected it.’

The Project bid farewell to Carrie on November 30, as she stepped down from the Channel 10 panel show after an impressive 13 years.

She thanked her friends, colleagues and viewers at the end of the broadcast.

The Project bid farewell to Carrie on November 30, as she stepped down from the Channel 10 panel show after an impressive 13 years

She also thanked Chris, who was sitting in the audience with their children. ‘To Chris [Walker, partner]. Thank you for everything. Your guidance and advice over the years, your amazing production skills…’ she added

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Carrie and Chris’ love story captured the hearts of Australians after they met on the set of The Project in 2012 – where Carrie worked as an anchor, two years after her husband Greg Lange lost his battle with brain cancer.

Despite his terminal condition, they married in 2005 when Carrie was 25 and had a son, Oliver. She said having their son was the greatest thing they ever did together.

Carrie and Chris’ love story captured the hearts of Australians after they met on the set of The Project in 2012 – where Carrie worked as an anchor, two years after her husband Greg Lange lost his battle with brain cancer 

After Greg died at 35, she continued his legacy by starting her own charity, Carrie’s Beanies for Brain Cancer, which she announced during her Gold Logie acceptance speech in 2015.

Carrie and Chris fell in love while working together – he became a stepdad to Oliver, before they had two daughters – Evie in 2015, and Adelaide in 2018.

The presenter previously told TV Week that her partner has also suffered loss in his life.

‘He like many people understands loss and suffered his own loss in life and I think he just has a huge amount of compassion and he will always be incredibly supportive of me and for our family,’ she said.

To spend more time together as a family, Carrie and Chris took their three kids to the UK for a school term in April.

In a lengthy Instagram post, she explained that they realised they needed to take a break during lockdown in Melbourne last year.

Carrie and Chris fell in love while working together – he became a stepdad to Oliver, before they had two daughters – Evie in 2015, and Adelaide in 2018 (all pictured) 

‘We feel like this is our last chance to do something like this together before Ollie hits the pointy end of his schooling and no longer wants to hang out with us so … we are heading to the UK for a school term,’ she wrote.

Chris previously said he finds himself missing Carrie because of the couple’s busy schedule.

‘Carrie works so much as well (on The Project). Particularly at the start of the week I find myself missing her and the kids quite a lot.’