Lisa Wilkinson shares moment Karl Stefanovic told her about 'new love' Jasmine

Lisa Wilkinson has shared the moment her former Today show co-host Karl Stefanovic told her he was 'madly in love' with his wife Jasmine Yarbrough.

In her new memoir It Wasn't Meant To Be Like This, the Sunday Project host recalls the moment Karl privately told her he had 'met someone' - just months after he made headlines for his split with wife of 21 years, Cassandra Thorburn.

In an excerpt from the autobiography, the 61-year-old said she found him looking "as happy and relaxed as I'd ever seen him", before he told her: "I've met someone", the Daily Mail reports.

She goes on to say Karl showed her a photo of the at that time LA-based model and designer, who is nine years younger than him, adding: "Well, that certainly took a turn. And explained a lot. That smile he had on his face got even bigger."

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Karl and Jasmine first met just five months after he and Cassandra - who share Jackson, 20, Ava, 15, and River, 13, together - had separated in 2016. They divorced a year later in 2017.

Lisa went on to detail in her book how Karl's relationship with a younger woman impacted his career.

She cited an interview with entertainment reporter with Peter Ford on The Kyle and Jackie O show, during which he said: "His personal ratings - and Nine has done research to confirm this - are right down the toilet. Women are angry at him."

At the time, host Jackie 'O' Henderson echoed those thoughts, adding: "They think he's just left her for some young 20-year-old and he's cavorting around, kissing her, cuddling her, for everyone to see."

Lisa confirmed the research Ford referenced saw the entire Today team at the time given a presentation about Karl's declining ratings in light of his new relationship.

"Each of us was given a full dossier detailing it all, and Jackie was right. It made for very uncomfortable reading," Lisa wrote.

These latest revelations come after Karl Stefanovic was left squirming on the Today show during the week, when Defence Minister Peter Dutton appeared to take a thinly veiled swipe at Lisa Wilkinson during an interview.

"If I’m being truthful, I think it’s sad – you see examples in politics, even in media, where some people lose their jobs, they go away and they’re bitter, they’re disaffected – some of them, like Malcolm, even write books … and they're more fiction than fact," Peter Dutton said.

Karl could be heard awkwardly giggling in the background before the camera panned to the clearly shocked host, who was speechless for a few seconds.

In a separate extract from her book, Lisa did say it was "disgusting to witness" how Karl, 47, was treated by the paparazzi after finalising his split from wife Cassandra.

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