Kate Ritchie spotted with radio network rival Carrie Bickmore’s ex-husband Chris Walker as the pair get close at TV event

Kate Ritchie was spotted getting close with Hit Network radio host Carrie Bickmore’s ex-husband Chris Walker at the ABC Upfronts on November 21. 

The Nova radio star, 46, was pictured with the award-winning TV producer as well as television star Amanda Keller on the red carpet in an image shared to Chris’ Instagram.

Chris, who split from Carrie, 43, in 2023, was all smiles as he wrapped his arms around the two women, with newly-single Kate looking very glamorous in a red top and slacks.

The actress paired the monochrome look with a pair of chunky gold earrings as she combed her dark tresses over one shoulder.

Meanwhile, Amanda, 62, shone beneath the lights in a dazzling diamante covered black suit as Chris kept things more casual with a black jacket and pink button-up shirt. 

‘ABC Upfronts and producers always have a phone charger ready… these two legends will be coming to your screens in a new show next year,’ Chris captioned the image. 

The trio may have been working on one of ABC’s upcoming projects together—a parenting series called The Role of a Lifetime.

The Jonesy & Amanda host is understood to be narrating the new 2025 program, while Kate will play an acting role on the series.

Chris may have worked as a producer on the show as he has produced several ABC projects, including The Weekly with Charlie Pickering, Hard Quiz and Tomorrow Tonight. 

His sighting with actress Kate comes after the former soap star appeared to have parted ways with her much younger boyfriend Will Skelton following a very short-lived romance.

The radio star was dating the ‘high-flying’ financial adviser, 30, who is 15 years her junior, for several months after they met at Nova FM’s Singles Ball in May.

Sources recently told Daily Mail Australia the pair parted ways not long after Kate was seen stumbling while trying to get out of her chauffeur-driven car in Camperdown in August.

The pair have not been photographed together in recent months and neither are following each other on Instagram, further appearing to confirm their split.

Meanwhile, Chris split from his wife of 11 years and Hit Network drivetime radio star Carrie, with whom he shares two children, in January 2023. 

Chris broke his silence on the split in August, telling Luke Darcy’s Empowering Leaders podcast that he was dealing with the ‘grief’ of the separation. 

The TV producer explained the hardest part of their new co-parenting arrangement was ‘saying goodbye to the kids twice a week’.

‘I still find that just enormously challenging. I had always assumed I’d be around them a hundred per cent of the time,’ he explained.

‘When it comes to being a dad, I was born for it. I love it and I wanna be around them all the time. I find that really difficult.’

Chris added that he was being supported by friends and family through ‘rougher times’ but he added: ‘The thing is, grief can last a long time.’

Carrie announced their split in an Instagram post in January last year, saying the pair was focused on co-parenting their three children, Ollie, 16, Evie, eight, and Adelaide, five.

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

‘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.’ 

Carrie has since famously been repeatedly hit by romance rumours with her radio co-star Tommy Little ever since they hosted their HIT FM radio show from Paris, France last year.

Tommy is said to have rushed to Carrie’s side at the time she confirmed her break-up from Chris, leading insiders to speculate their friendship could evolve into something more.