He may have been the most obvious choice for the new co-host of Today, but Tom Steinfort almost didn’t take the job.
Last week it was announced the Channel 9 newsreader will become the permanent co-host of Today, alongside Sylvia Jeffreys, from the start of 2027.
The news came after the abrupt departure of Karl Stefanovic from the network in June, following his controversial interview with British far-right figure Tommy Robinson, and Sarah Abo’s decision to step away from Channel 9 after welcoming her first child in July.
But now industry insiders have revealed that Tom almost turned down the role for the sake of his family’s privacy.
He married magazine editor Claudia Jukic in 2018, and the couple welcomed a daughter named Frida at the end of 2021, and a daughter named Lottie in 2023.
On Monday’s episode of Today, he announced the couple were currently expecting their third child.
“Tom knows exactly what comes with that level of fame,” says our insider. “He knows it won’t just affect him, but his whole family too. His biggest concern was losing their privacy and being able to protect the people he loves.”
According to the source, Tom had many discussions with his wife, and those closest to him, before he decided to take on the role.
“They all encouraged him to go for it and reminded him it was an incredible opportunity,” the insider says.
Tom also had to seriously consider the impact the role would have on his family life, with early morning starts, travel and inevitable periods of time where he’ll have to be away from his young family, especially in the weeks and months after the couple welcome their third child.
Of course, there’s another reason Tom may have been initially hesitant to take the seat next to Sylvia – the pair used to date!
According to the Daily Telegraph, the two Channel 9 stars dated briefly over a decade ago, with rumours swirling that they were together for at least a couple of months.
“They dated briefly but have remained friends ever since, so there’s no awkwardness between them,” one insider spills.
“There have definitely been a few in-house jokes about the two of them landing the Today gig side by side, because it’s quite the coincidence.
“Sylvia’s husband Pete, in particular, has found the whole thing pretty amusing and has been giving her a playful hard time about it. He’s definitely been having a bit of fun with the situation.”
The former couple kept their relationship relatively private at the time and have since both moved on and married their spouses. Sylvia married fellow newsreader Peter Stefanovic in 2017 and the couple are currently also expecting their third child.
“But there’s no drama or tension between Sylvia and Tom. They’re both very comfortable around each other and have long since moved on from their brief romance,” our insider explains.
“It’s really just one of those funny situations where everyone who knows the backstory gets a little chuckle out of it. Pete included. Ultimately, it’s much more funny than anything else, and everyone’s just having a bit of a laugh about the unlikely reunion.”
If anything, their history just makes their on-screen chemistry even better.
“They’re comfortable together, they know how to bounce off each other, and that familiarity could translate really well to sitting side by side at the Today desk. Sometimes you can’t manufacture that kind of ease — and in their case, they’ve already got a history of knowing how to read each other.”
When the news was announced last week, the pair were quick to praise each other, with Tom calling Sylvia a “brilliant broadcaster, a great mate and a lot of fun”.
While Sylvia said she was excited to “steer the show into a new era alongside Tom”.
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