What sparked the alleged 'heated incident' between Georgie Gardner and Channel Nine's newsroom – now her incredible six-figure salary for two TV appearances a week is revealed

EXCLUSIVE

Georgie Gardner was spotted looking disheveled and distressed after it was revealed that Nine is investigating claims she lost her temper with a young colleague during an on-set incident last month.

The well-known presenter was seen crying in her car on Monday morning after being engrossed in a “very animated” conversation on the phone for over an hour.

The veteran newsreader was still puffy-eyed as she later ordered a coffee at the popular Mosman cafe, near her palatial home on Sydney's affluent Lower North Shore.

The sighting came just a day after it was revealed that Nine was investigating Gardner after receiving a complaint about an alleged “hot” spray she used at the broadcaster's Sydney studios.

As Daily Mail Australia reveals, the star news anchor was accused of getting into an altercation with a young staff member when she left the show after presenting the Saturday night newscast on August 31.

The alleged incident is said to have been caused by a problem with the teleprompter.

Gardner presents Nine's news program about the night of her alleged tirade on set

Nine launched an internal investigation into the alleged encounter after the producer – whose name Daily Mail Australia did not reveal – filed an official complaint.

Following the alleged incident, Gardner was absent from her regular duties as a weekend news anchor for two weeks.

But last Friday evening she returned to the air and colleagues reportedly confirmed that she had actually been absent as planned.

The internal investigation could not have come at a worse time for the station's highly paid news anchor or for Nine.

The long-time news anchor's contract is among those being carefully scrutinized by the company's financial controllers as the cash-strapped broadcaster desperately tries to contain costs.

As Daily Mail Australia can reveal, the Sydney-based presenter is currently paid $600,000 a year to read the news two nights a week.

The eye-watering salary is a legacy from Gardner's short-lived reign as co-host of the network's Today show alongside fellow news anchor Deb Knight in 2019, after Nine's experiment with a new all-female line-up failed.

Senior network insiders said the deal was no longer “sustainable” and she was among a number of key stars who were expected to take massive pay cuts in the coming months.

The star was seen on Monday for the first time since news of the internal investigation became known

Georgie Gardner and Deb Knight co-hosted Nine's breakfast show “Today” for a year in 2019 – along with then-newsreader Tom Steinfort – before the experiment was deemed a failure

Last month, Nine cut nearly 200 jobs across its television, radio and newspaper empire to reduce its operating budget by $30 million.

More cuts are coming: The company's chief financial officer warned that the media giant wants to save another $50 million on its running costs in the current fiscal year.

Insiders have revealed that the contracts of all of the broadcaster's on-air stars are currently being “reviewed” as part of a brutal cost-cutting review – and that no one is safe.

The controversial broadcaster is also in the midst of an ongoing review of its editorial culture following complaints of widespread bullying and harassment.

Gardner remained behind closed doors on Sunday as news of the internal investigation into her alleged conduct became public.

It does not allege that Gardner behaved inappropriately, it merely states that a complaint was filed and an investigation is underway.

The star ventured out on Monday morning to take her dog for a walk through the tree-lined streets surrounding her Mosman home.

Gardner spent an hour in a “very animated” conversation on her mobile phone before grabbing a coffee at the popular Cafe Mosman on Military Road on Monday morning

The star was seen walking her dog with a “post-op” shoe on her left foot

She then took a short drive alone, stopped in front of the cafe on Military Road and made a phone call from her parked car.

Witnesses said she spent more than an hour on her cell phone and was seen “running her hands through her hair” and “drying her eyes” during the intense conversation before leaving the house to drink her morning coffee.

“She looked visibly disturbed in the car – even as you walked past you could see she was having a very animated conversation,” a witness told Daily Mail Australia.

Nine has refused to discuss the complaint against Gardner.

However, the station's director of news and current affairs, Fiona Dear, said in a statement: “Georgie Gardner is a highly valued long-standing member of our Nine News team. We have no further comment.”

The accusation is not the only battle Gardner is currently facing.

The news anchor was spotted drinking coffee on Monday wearing a ProCare surgical shoe on her left foot, fueling speculation that her recent vacation was related to medical drama.

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