EXCLUSIVE: Carrie Bickmore reveals her surprising struggle with new baby Adelaide: “It was a shock!”

As Australia’s golden girl, Carrie Bickmore is a shining example of a woman who can do it all.

The Project co-host has been a fixture on our screens since she joined Rove Live in 2006 and on our airwaves long before that.

And as charismatic as she is composed, Carrie’s earned a place in our hearts for her empathetic approach.

“Perhaps I get more emotional at work than I should, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve accepted that is who I am and I can’t apologise for that,” says the mum-of-three.

And nor should she. It’s provided longevity in what can be a cut-throat industry, and it’s earned her a TV WEEK Gold Logie, no less.

As Carrie, 38 – who gave birth to daughter Adelaide in December – prepares to return to The Project after an eight-month hiatus, just in time for its 10th birthday, she tells OK! she’s more than ready for the ‘craziness’ of her usual schedule.

“We’re settling into life as a family of five and it feels like the right time to be going back to work,” she shares.

Keep scrolling as we get all the updates from Australia’s golden girl herself!

Exciting times ahead for you, Carrie! So you’re now gearing up to return to The Project on July 8 – are you ready?

I’ve been doing radio from home, thanks to the power of technology these days, but going back to The Project will be different.

Obviously I wish we could do The Project from my living room every night, around the kids, but I’m really looking forward to getting back to it.

I’ve been off the desk for a little longer than I planned. I didn’t set out to stick to a set time, as I didn’t quite know how we’d go when Adelaide arrived – and it’s good because she’s been a lot more challenging than I could ever have imagined!

[Adelaide’s] had reflux and she’s a baby who just wants to be cuddled and held all the time, which has been really exhausting but also really lovely and rewarding, too.

So you went from two relatively easy kids to one who’s pretty full-on. How did you cope with that?

It was a shock! I was like, ‘What’s happened?’ I’m yet to call my good friend Chrissie Swan out on this because she was like, “Oh, having a third is easy, you won’t even notice!”.

Now I’m like, “What a liar you are!” Adelaide has definitely been the hardest one yet, as adorable as she is.

WATCH: Carrie Bickmore’s daughter’s hilarious nickname. Story continues after video…*

The Project is about to celebrate its 10th birthday! How do you keep it fresh?

Well, I’ve had a couple of mat-leave breaks! I think I’m open to meeting new people and doing different things and that’s what keeps it fresh and exciting for me.

Plus, the ability to have a laugh helps, too. It’s a news show but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. I’m so lucky – I get paid to chat and talk about the news with friends.

And in that time you’ve rocked some incredible hairstyles…

When I dyed my hair brown, I’d never had more interaction with people in supermarkets in my life.

I had so many people come up to me and say, “Oh my God – finally! I’m so sick of your blonde hair!” I was like, “Oh, OK.”

Then others came up to say, “What have you done?! It looks horrendous!’ And I’d be like, “Riiiiiiight. Thank you all for your opinions.”

Have you felt under pressure to get TV-ready for your return? Have you been hitting the gym?

I barely get a moment to myself to do anything like that.

One of the most annoying things about going back to work on radio is that, back in the day, there were no webcams in the room and you could do the show in trackies and Uggs and no-one would know! But now you have to be reasonably presentable.

I love to get out and walk with Adelaide or take the kids to the park, but there’s not a lot of time for anything else. I’ll hit up a Pilates class when I can, but it’s sporadic at the moment – and that’s OK.

Do you and your partner Chris make time for date nights?

Not at the moment. We can barely stay awake to watch any TV beyond 9pm!

And to top off a big year, you received an OAM – congrats! How did that feel?

When I got the email, I thought it was to supply a recommendation for someone else, which I’ve done before.

When I saw what it was, I remember being very shocked and quiet.

Ollie was like, “What’s wrong, Mum?” And boys are normally like, “Oh yeah, that’s cool,” but when I told him, he was like, “That’s so amazing!”

That’s when I teared up. It’s not something anyone ever thinks about getting in life; it’s such a lovely surprise. I feel really honoured to be in that company.

It’s an honour and a beautiful recognition.