After years out of the spotlight, Lisa Wilkinson is finally speaking out — and not just about the headlines that followed her, but the deeply personal reset that came in their wake.

In her first interview in several years, the veteran broadcaster, 66, opens up about stepping back into public life, the emotional toll of constant scrutiny, and the very unexpected project that helped her through it all.

‘Probably a combination of slightly nervous and incredibly excited to have been working on such an extraordinary story,’ she tells this week’s Stellar magazine.

That ‘extraordinary story’ is her new book, The Titanic Story Of Evelyn — a passion project she admits arrived at exactly the right time.

‘Spending a lot of time with lawyers, really, which I wouldn’t suggest is a great way to live your life,’ Wilkinson says candidly.

‘This project came right in the middle of all of the court drama, and it was just an idea I came up with one day that made me lean in. I wasn’t even looking for a project. I was just trying to get through every day.

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After years out of the spotlight, Lisa Wilkinson is finally speaking — and not just about the headlines that followed her, but the deeply personal reset that came in their wake

‘It was the most incredibly wonderful distraction to be able to delve into someone else’s life – not my own – because I was everywhere in the press. I was sick of me. I can’t imagine how the rest of the country felt.’

At the heart of Wilkinson’s book is Evelyn Marsden — the only Australian-born survivor of the RMS Titanic sinking.

It’s a story that resonated with Wilkinson, quickly becoming more than just historical research.

‘I felt like that was all I was doing every single day – rowing against a tide,’ Wilkinson says, explaining why she dedicated the book to ‘every woman, like Evelyn, who has ever rowed against the tide’.

‘That was the moment when I just fell in love with her and just knew that I had to do this story.’

Immersing herself in the tragedy of the Titanic — where more than 1500 people died — also gave her perspective.

‘When you deal with tragedy on that level, it puts into perspective any troubles I might have been having.’

The past few years haven’t been easy. Wilkinson found herself at the centre of intense public debate following her 2021 interview with Brittany Higgins on The Project.

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In her first interview in several years, the veteran broadcaster, 66, opens up to Stellar magazine about stepping back into public life, the emotional toll of constant scrutiny, and the unexpected project that helped her through it all

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Away from the cameras, Wilkinson has been embracing a simpler life with husband Peter FitzSimons

But she insists she never regretted telling the story.

‘I don’t think I ever had that thought, but I certainly had some very rough days,’ she says.

‘So every time it was, ‘I’m OK, I’m not on the Titanic, not fighting to save my life. I’m just hoping to defend some work of mine.’

Looking back, she says one outcome still stands out.

‘So when I look back on having done that story, that’s probably the thing of which I’m most proud.’

As for Higgins herself, Wilkinson’s words are simple but heartfelt:

‘I really wish Brittany all strength because to go through what she’s had to go through repeatedly… She keeps standing up… I have nothing but admiration for her.’

Wilkinson also addressed her abrupt exit from The Project in 2022 — and made it clear it wasn’t her call.

‘No, not at all. Channel 10 took me off air. It was their decision, not mine,’ she said.

Being forced to announce her departure live on air was another moment she had to push through.

‘I was given no choice. Sometimes in life when you’re given no choice, you just steel yourself. You do it, you keep moving forward… that’s what I had to do.’