Hiding her heartbreak: Last sighting of Carrie Bickmore before announcing split with Chris Walker

Carrie Bickmore was all smiles as she attended Sam Smith‘s concert in Adelaide last week with friends, just one week before announcing her split with her long-time partner Chris Walker. 

It was the last sighting of the former Project host before she made the heartbreaking announcement that she and Walker were separating after 11 years together.

The Gold Logie winner, 42, broke the news in an emotional Instagram post on Wednesday morning, and said the pair are now focusing on co-parenting their three children – Ollie, 15, Evie, seven, and Adelaide, four.

Carrie Bickmore was all smiles as she attended Sam Smith’s concert in Adelaide last week with a male pal, just one week before announcing her split with her long-time partner Chris Walker 

Bickmore attended the exclusive Sam Smith concert on January 11, but did not post about the gig on Instagram.

Instead, she was tagged in a photo shared by one of her mal pals, Frankie Braile.

The TV star, who recently stepped down as host of Channel 10’s The Project, looked stylish in a floral-patterned dress and accessorised with sunglasses, a chunky gold necklace and earrings.

She showed no signs of heartbreak, beaming as she threw her arm around her Braile. 

Meanwhile, Walker was spotted looking downcast while going for a walk in Byron Bay days later on Saturday. 

Meanwhile, Walker was spotted looking downcast while going for a walk in Byron Bay days later on Saturday 

Walker, a TV producer, was joined by Bondi Vet Dr. Chris Brown

The TV producer was joined by his close friend and Bondi Vet, Dr. Chris Brown, as the pair did the famous lighthouse walk.

Walker pounded the pavement in a pair of black board shorts and a white tank singlet.

He shielded his face with a green trucker cap and held a white and navy towel that was similar to one Dr. Brown carried on his shoulder.

The pair chatted as they did the famous lighthouse walk in the popular coastal town

Walker pounded the pavement while wearing a pair of black board shorts and a white tank singlet

He shielded his face with a green trucker cap and held a white and navy towel in his hand

While Brown continued to chat with his companion, Walker didn’t appear to say a word.

Bickmore announced her split from her partner Walker on Wednesday morning after 11 years together.

The shock news comes just one month after Bickmore hosted her last episode of The Project.

‘It’s with immense sadness that Chris and I have decided to separate,’ she wrote via Instagram.

While Brown continued to chat with his companion, Walker didn’t appear to say a word 

 Walker’s expression didn’t appear to change much either

‘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.’

While the news came as a shock to fans, Bickmore – who just weeks ago was pictured with her children at the beach in Byron Bay – had hinted at her private struggles in a farewell letter to The Project’s hair and makeup team after quitting the show in November.

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

 He continued walking while remaining focused on Brown’s conversation

 The TV producer didn’t seem to make eye contact at the fellow TV star until the end of their venture

Walker looked downcast as he did some light exercise with the Channel 10 hunk 

She thanked her friends, colleagues and viewers at the end of the broadcast, as well as Chris, who was sitting in the studio audience with their children.

‘Is it too late to change my mind?’ she said, fighting back tears.

‘To Chris. Thank you for everything. Your guidance and advice over the years, your amazing production skills…’ she added.

‘This show has given us so much. We wouldn’t have our beautiful little prophets if it wasn’t for The Project.’

The pair appeared to be locked in a deep conversation

Speaking to her children, she said: ‘You guys are my world. Love you guys.’

Her departure also marked an end to her 17 years with Channel 10.

Bickmore and Walker’s love story captured the hearts of Australians.

They met as colleagues on The Project – she was a presenter and he was a producer – and they began dating in late 2012, two years after she lost her husband Greg Lange, the father of her eldest child Ollie, to brain cancer.

Bickmore announced her split from her partner Walker on Wednesday morning after 11 years together

The TV presenter announced their split in an Instagram post on Wednesday, saying the pair was focused on co-parenting their three children, Ollie, 15, Evie, seven, and Adelaide, four 

Despite his terminal diagnosis, Bickmore had married Langue in 2005 when she was just 25 years old, and together they welcomed a son, Oliver.

After Langue died at age 35, a widowed Bickmore started the charity Carrie’s Beanies for Brain Cancer in his memory.

Two years later and Bickmore had found love again with Walker, who became a stepdad to Oliver, and with whom she later had two daughters: Evie, born in 2015, and Adelaide, born in 2018.

Walker became a stepdad to Bickmore’s son Oliver. They later had two daughters of their own: Evie, born in 2015, and Adelaide, born in 2018 

Bickmore previously said Walker had also suffered loss in his life, which helped the bond in the early days of their relationship.

‘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 told TV Week.

In April last year, Bickmore and Walker moved to the UK with their children for a school term.

In a lengthy Instagram post at the time, she explained they realised they needed to take a break during the Melbourne lockdowns.

The split news comes just one month after Bickmore hosted her last episode of The Project, after stepping down because she wanted to spend more evenings at home with her family 

She thanked her friends, colleagues and viewers at the end of the broadcast, as well as Walker, who was sitting in the studio audience with their children (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.

Walker previously told the Herald Sun he would find himself ‘missing’ his partner because of the couple’s busy schedules.

‘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,’ he said.

Bickmore and Walker’s love story captured the hearts of Australians. They met as colleagues on The Project – she was a presenter and he was a producer – and they began dating in late 2012, two years after she lost her husband Greg Lange to brain cancer 

Walker made headlines in May last year when it was revealed he had unknowingly stripped off at the end of a work Skype meeting while he was on holiday in England.

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.

Walker had dialled in while on sabbatical in London with Bickmore and their children, with the naked faux pas taking place before a taping of The Weekly with Charlie Pickering, for which he is executive producer.

Bickmore was likely mortified by the incident, as Walker’s gaffe led to an avalanche of embarrassing headlines.