news.com.au– Entertainment veteran Kerri-Anne Kennerley, 67, has unveiled the extent of her injuries after she plunged 4.5m from a trapeze during a performance of Pippin.
The star’s management released an X-ray revealing her broken collarbone.
The “nasty” incident happened during Wednesday night’s show but she was able to finish her performance before being taken to Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital.
It’s unknown when and if Kennerley will be able to reprise her role in the Tony Award-winning musical, which is slated to finish on January 31, 2021.
Horrifying footage emerged of the freak accident, showing Kennerley taking the huge fall.
Spinning on a trapeze, you can see when she falls, prompting several people to run to her aid.
Kennerley has previously spoken about the vigorous six-day training schedule she undertook to prepare for her role. Part of her performance includes going up “15ft” on a trapeze and performing stunts mid-air.
Speaking to The Senior, she called it a “big learning curve”.
“It’s all about upper body strength and core work. In my big number, I have to get on a trapeze and go up 15ft,” she said.
“I’m helped by a very strapping, hunky trapeze artist and we do several movements including one called The Bird, and one where I have to hang by my feet.
”It’s a big learning curve and I realise how active and tough this is going to be. It’s really coming home to roost now. But every day there is some improvement.”
It’s understood Kennerley did not suffer any major injuries and will return for the remaining run of the show at the Sydney Lyric Theatre.
2020 has proved to be a challenging year for Kennerley, following her axing from the morning program Studio 10, which also saw the departure of Channel 10 stalwarts like Natarsha Belling, Tim Bailey, Emma Alberici, Sally Obermeder and Joe Hildebrand.
In an emotional farewell to the show, she told audiences that she felt “saved” by the show following the death of her husband, John Kennerley in 2019.
“I thought I’d have John for a very long time it wasn’t to be – coming into work probably literally saved me. You people, our audience, literally saved me,” she said.
Focusing on her co-hosts Joe Hildbrand, Angela Bishop and Sarah Harris , she also expressed her thanks.
“The day of his funeral where you actually left your own television show, early, to come to his funeral was one of the most beautiful moments.
“That was so deeply moving and Channel 10 made that decision, Channel 10 allowed you to do that to support me and it was really beautiful – I was so grateful.”
Despite this, Kennerley’s time at the show wasn’t without its controversy. In 2019 Kennerly clashed with Studio 10 pannelist, Yumi Stynes after denouncing the motives of Australia Day protesters and accusing them of ignoring the alleged rape of women and children in “the outback”.
Her comments led to Stynes calling Kennerly “racist”.
“That is not even faintly true Kerri-Anne and you’re sounding quite racist now,” said Stynes.
In October of that year, the golf-enthusisast also came under fire for claiming climate change activists should be used “as speed bumps”. At the time this was in response to Extinction Rebellion protestors who announced a week-long protest filled with acts of civil-disobedience.
“I would leave them all super glued to wherever they do it,” she said.
“No emergency services should help them, nobody should do anything, and you just put little witches hats around them, or use them as speed bumps.”
A representative for Channel 10 later told Junkee that said Kennerly’s comments were “clearly a joke” with “no intent to cause offence”.
