Lisa Wilkinson has broken her social media silence for the first time since Bruce Lehrmann launched a defamation case against her, sharing an important message about the prevalence of ovarian cancer.
Wilkinson was a regularly Instagram user until December last year, when she moved away from the limelight following a difficult 2022 that saw her publicly slammed for her Logies acceptance speech.
She won the award for her TV interview with Brittany Higgins, during which the former political staffer alleged for the first time that she was raped by a male colleague in Parliament House in 2019.
Mr Lehrmann was not named as the alleged rapist during the interview, but he claims he was identifiable to people in his political circles.
He has always denied the allegations against him, and filed a defamation suit against Wilkinson and Channel 10 in the Federal Court in February.
But Wilkinson’s Instagram post on Tuesday night – her first in two-and-a-half months – had nothing to do with that. Instead, she used her influence to highlight the lack of research into ovarian cancer.
Lisa Wilkinson wrote an Instagram post about the prevalence of ovarian cancer, and uploaded a selfie wearing a jumper designed to raise awareness (pictured)
In the post, pictured, Wilkinson talked about how there is no test for ovarian cancer
‘It’s not the silent killer, it’s the ignored killer,’ she wrote.
‘Ovarian cancer is the deadliest female cancer there is and yet, there is still no test.’
‘And tragically, many women are already in stage 3 or 4 before they are diagnosed.’
She tagged high-end fashion house, Camilla And Marc, which is raising money to get an early detection test to clinical trials within the next three years.
Above the write-up, Wilkinson uploaded a photo of herself in a white jumper which was designed by the brand and featured an illustrated image of ovaries on the front.
‘You can buy the T-shirt or make a donation, and together we can make this life-changing test a reality,’ she wrote.
‘Women deserve better. Women deserve a test.’
Prior the post on Tuesday, Wilkinson uploaded two photos with cryptic messages about getting through tough times and disregarding the opinions of others.
Mr Lehrmann is also suing news.com.au and journalist Samantha Maiden over article on February 15 2021 featuring Ms Higgins’ rape allegations, which was published in tandem with Wilkinson’s television interview.
Pictured: Bruce Lehrmann outside NSW Federal Court in March. He is suing Wilkinson for defamation
In the Federal Court last week, Wilkinson’s lawyer Sue Chrysanthou told the Federal Court her client was at the top of Mr Lehrmann’s ‘hit list’.
‘He was happy to settle with Network 10, happy to settle with Samantha Maiden, happy to settle with News (Corp), but not my client’,’ she said.
‘Why did he not file a concerns notice, ever? Why was there no letter of demand saying “I intend to sue you, be on notice’?”
‘You send a concerns notice to settle – he didn’t want to settle with my client.’
The interlocutory hearing was held to determine whether Mr Lehrmann should be allowed to sue for defamation, given that he filed the cases two years after the interview was aired and the article was published.
Normally, defamation proceedings are subject to a 12-month limitation period. That period can be extended if the applicant can prove it was unreasonable to file the suit earlier.
Mr Lehrmann’s lawyer Matthew Richardson SC argued a defamation case was not launched within the first year because his client was unsure if he was going to be the subject of a police investigation.
Justice Michael Lee is yet to determine whether the trial will go ahead.
While not named in the Wilkinson interview with Higgins (pictured together), Mr Lehrmann argues his identity would have been known in political circles
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
