“When Chris left, I felt a very deep-in-my-marrow sadness,” the 55-year-old admits to WHO.
“But with Robert’s appointment, I cannot tell you how happy and relaxed I am. I am the luckiest girl in the world. The fact that I can go from literally one of my favourite humans to what I’m sure is about to become one of my all-time favourite humans in Robert, I’m just like this is a professional dream come true.”
There’s been plenty of speculation about what the rapport between Morris and Irwin will be like.
Pundits point out that she and Brown were able to share cheeky and, at times, saucy banter and jokes – something that won’t be possible for Morris to have with her new offsider given their ages make them almost mother and son material.
“Most comics will respond to who they are playing with,” she explains. “Chris and I had that funny, naughty ‘ooh doctor’ silliness. If I’m only a one-trick-pony, I’m in big trouble – I’ll be cancelled by the end of the day.”
It’s easy to forget the wealth of experience performing and appearing on camera that Irwin has.
He’s been doing it literally since before he could walk, does daily live shows at the family’s Australia Zoo and makes regular appearances on international television.
“We come with a similar on-camera experience under our belts,” Morris says. “He’s a fiercely intelligent young man … really funny and a super cool decent guy. I think we are going to build something really special and I think the show is going to have a fun and new level of kindness to it, as well as super sweet comedy and have a cool conservation message underpinning it. I don’t see how we can go wrong.”
Like Irwin, Morris’ success is underpinned by years of hard work.
She’s never had another job, and frankly, wouldn’t want one. “It hasn’t been luck that’s come my way,” she says with a laugh. “It’s been misplaced confidence and high levels of perseverance.”
In recent years, she has scaled back some of her commitments to be more present for her two teenage daughters, Ruby and Sophie, who are entering their last years of high school.
Since splitting with her husband, Dan Thomas, in late 2021, the desire to support them has been even stronger.
“Since I’m now leading a very different life as a single mum, I have given away a lot of my work over the past couple of years on purpose because there’s too much going on at home for me to be away for weeks and weeks. It was possible when they were younger because there was another parent in the house, but now that it’s just me, I just need to be here for these women. There’s no point being a kick-arse woman and not being there to raise the women.”
Morris says she’s a kick-arse woman in the workplace too, using her position of power to advocate for colleagues and co-workers.
“I have not wasted my time in the position that I have climbed to in this industry to not leave a proper legacy for the person who is coming to take my job next,” she promises. “For those that I work alongside, I absolutely know that their lives are better as a result of me using my voice to make positive change.”
Watch Below: Julia Morris speaks with TV WEEK on the TV WEEK Logie Awards Red Carpet
And although Morris may in some ways sing the praises of singledom and “silent sleeping”, she alludes to a difficult few years during which she also lost her beloved father after a long illness last year.
“Honestly, life is neutral,” she says, agreeing that neutral can be underrated.
“It’s been very, very difficult for a very long time and it’s not like it’s super, super rosy either, but it is neutral. Of all the things that could go wrong, there’s lots of things that haven’t.”
(I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! premieres Sun., Mar. 24 at 7.30pm on Ten)