Sylvia Jeffreys has spoken again about her tumultuous 2018 in a new interview with Stellar. Sylvia and her husband Peter Stefanovic were under intense media scrutiny after Peter and his brother Karl were recorded in an Uber talking about the discontent they felt in their jobs at Nine.
The fallout was intense. Peter was let go, Karl was fired from Today and Sylvia was caught in the fallout. She still had a job, but no one knew what it was going to be.
“I don’t know on what basis those decisions were made, but whatever way you look at it, I was collateral,” Sylvia continued.
“There was an awful lot of speculation and there still is,” referring to the fact that she and her husband Peter may have been damaged by association [Peter and Karl being brothers].Â
“But they [Karl and Jasmine] are beautiful people who love each other very much and that’s all I really care about.”
It’s only now that Sylvia can speak candidly about that time of turmoil.
“I didn’t see change on that scale coming,” she explained.
“It was a difficult few days as everything was being sorted out, but I certainly didn’t expect it.”
Sylvia admitted that she and Peter did grew closer during the ordeal as they had both lost their jobs.
“It was a lot to digest all at once,” she revealed. “It was an interesting dynamic but, in a sense, [both of us losing our jobs] helped us immensely. We understood what each other was experiencing and the range of emotions that were being felt. I’m glad it happened when it did because we both turned to each other. But we’re pretty good at that.”
Overall, the stressful situation has left Sylvia with a newfound strength.
“I’ve grown a few extra layers of skin in the last 12 months,” she said, laughing.
“I’m not one to toot my own horn, but with all that’s happened I’ve been reminded of my ability to adapt. The resilience you get out of [these situations] is extremely valuable and at the end of the day, it’s just television.”
Now working on A Current Affair, it’s clear that Sylvia has found her footing with host Tracey Grimshaw saying she’s “warm and passionate”.
Sylvia is enjoying the opportunity to sleep in a bit more as well.
“I’m feeling very energised,” she said. “I’ve never had the opportunity to work on long-form, so it feels quite indulgent to have 10 minutes to tell a story. Plus, I’m sleeping like a champion!”
Sylvia has also taken the time to reflect on the strength found in her marriage and speaks candidly about her husband Peter.
View this post on InstagramTwo years on and I love her more every day. Happy anniversary @sylviajeffreys â¤ï¸
“Working in war zones has given him a deep perspective of what is important in life,” she explained.
She’s also grateful that they met at the right time in their lives.
“We were both willing and able to dive right on in,” she said with a smile.
“I hope I bring a lot of love to him, too.”
