Claims Karl Stefanovic 'lobbied for Lisa Wilkinson to get her co-hosting gig on ...

A new twist has emerged in the ongoing feud between Lisa Wilkinson and Karl Stefanovic, less than two weeks before her explosive tell-all memoir is set to be released.

On Wednesday, entertainment journalist Peter Ford claimed on 6PR Breakfast it was Stefanovic who initially 'lobbied for' Wilkinson, 61, to get her job on the Today show in 2006, while knowing 'full well that she'd be earning more money than him'.

Wilkinson's new autobiography It Wasn't Meant To Be Like This lifts the lid on the pair's apparently strained relationship, even claiming Stefanovic, 47, gave her the cold shoulder in the week prior to her exit from the show.

'It was actually Karl that got Lisa the job,' Ford told host Gareth Parker.

'They met socially by way of Larry Emdur, and at the time they were looking for a new co-host and Karl went and lobbied Eddie McGuire - who was running the joint - and I suspect Lisa was probably shortlisted anyway, because she's perfectly qualified for the gig.

'But certainly Karl went and lobbied for her to get it, knowing full well that she'd be sitting alongside him and she'd be earning more money than him.'

He added that he doesn't believe Karl will 'say anything' about the rumoured feud, adding that it's probably 'the wisest move' to keep quiet.

Daily Mail Australia have contacted a representative for Lisa Wilkinson for comment. Channel Nine declined to comment when approached.  

It comes after Wilkinson lifted the lid on her final days working at the Today show in an excerpt from her new book, published in The Sunday Telegraph.

She claimed Stefanovic had given her the cold shoulder in the weeks prior to her sacking, which was prompted when she asked for a significant pay rise.

She alleged she and husband Pete FitzSimons had invited Stefanovic and his partner, Jasmine Yarbrough, to attend their 25th anniversary vow renewal ceremony in October 2017.

Two days before the event, however, Stefanovic supposedly contacted FitzSimons to say they wouldn't be attending because they'd extended their overseas holiday.

'In the ten days since [the ceremony] Karl hadn't contacted me, his co-host of almost eleven years, at all. No phone message, no text, no apology, not even a simple congrats. Just complete silence,' Wilkinson alleged.

After returning to work, she claimed Stefanovic did not ask her about her holidays, nor did he apologise for being a 'no-show at the wedding'. 

'For the next two hours, I exchanged not a single word with Karl outside of what was scripted – because for the first time, I just didn't trust myself to "play nice",' she said. 

However, her recollection of her last show has been disputed, with resurfaced footage showing Stefanovic had in fact said to her: 'It's a big welcome back to Lisa. Nice to see you again. How was your honeymoon?'

Wilkinson went on to claim in her book she was 'quietly fuming' because 'nearly every interview that day was being done by Karl alone'.