Inside Michael Clarke's 'rift with Karl Stefanovic' after Noosa brawl trends now
Could the bromance be over for Michael Clarke and Karl Stefanovic?
The pair's once-tight friendship was torn apart earlier this month when Clarke, 41, was secretly filmed having a blazing row with his girlfriend Jade Yarbrough - the sister of Stefanovic's wife Jasmine - in a public park in Noosa, forcing the Today show host, 48, to intervene in the scuffle.
A source close to both men told New Idea Stefanovic may be 'closing the door on' the former Australian cricket captain in the wake of the embarrassing footage.
The bromance could be well and truly over for Michael Clarke (left) and Karl Stefanovic (right), with an insider saying there is little chance of the former best mates reconciling
The 'final straw' for the Channel Nine star apparently came when Clarke returned to the airwaves on his Sky Sports Breakfast radio show last Monday and refused to properly acknowledge what had happened.
His only comment about the Noosa incident was a throwaway remark about his bruised hamstring - the result of an injury he sustained during the melee - and he instead left it to his co-host Gerard Middleton to read a prepared statement downplaying the story as a 'private matter'.
'Karl's very upset... A lot of people in the industry expected Michael to front up that Monday morning and own it,' a source said.
'Everyone was left gobsmacked. Like, "Is that the best you can do, Clarkey?"'
The insider went on to say the only hope for the friendship is Stefanovic finding it within himself to 'forgive his mate... but this is one rift that could take a very long time to mend.'
A source close to both men claimed Stefanovic may be 'closing the door on' the former Australian cricket captain in the wake of the embarrassing footage. The 'final straw' for the Channel Nine star apparently came when Clarke returned to the airwaves on his Sky Sports Breakfast radio show last Monday and refused to properly acknowledge what had happened. (Pictured: Stefanovic and Clarke at a charity event in Sydney on October 29, 2015)
It was previously reported Stefanovic had been 'rocked' by the fallout from Clarke's late-night row, and was holding 'crisis talks' with friends and advisors.
'Since that fight video went public, Karl has been rocked to the core. He is terrified there could be more footage to come,' a source said.
'[Karl] knows he cannot afford another crisis like this one,' they added. 'He has told the family, "That's enough, no more dramas!"'
Karl's brother Peter Stefanovic last week weighed in on the pair's falling out, telling Fitzy & Wippa he felt there was still hope for their friendship.
'I think he's going okay, yeah. Yeah, he's hanging in there,' the Sky News Australia anchor told hosts Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald, Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli and Sarah McGilvray.
'You never know how these things work out. You know, there's ebbs and flows,' he said when asked if the duo's friendship had been irreparably damaged.
McGilvray joked about the stereotype that men 'move past' arguments easily, whereas for women 'that would be it'.
'He's alright though. He's just in pap [paparazzi] city at the moment,' Peter shrugged.
Karl's brother Peter Stefanovic (left) last week weighed in on the pair's falling out, telling Fitzy & Wippa he felt there was still hope for their friendship
It comes after 2GB radio host Ben Fordham called Clarke a 'coward' and a 'wuss' for not addressing the matter head-on during his first day back at work.
'How cowardly can you get?' he said.
'I mean, he's got a microphone in front of him, he's sitting in a radio studio, it's the story everyone's talking about and Clarkey squibs it. Clarke, you wuss.'
Clarke had an awkward return to the airwaves last Monday as he hosted his first radio show of the year - less than a week after footage of his blazing row with girlfriend Yarbrough went viral.
The former Test captain was stunned into silence when a woman called in to defend him over the incident, which took place in a public park in Noosa earlier in the month, forcing one of his colleagues to step in to say 'it's a private matter'.
It comes after 2GB radio host Ben Fordham (pictured) called Clarke a 'coward' and a 'wuss' for not addressing the matter head-on during his first day back at work
During a segment where listeners discuss their 'heroes and villains' of the week, the listener praised Clarke for being 'discreet' by not fuelling the scandal with further commentary.
Clarke refused to
