Carrie Bickmore and Lee Elliott’s reported romantic connection has cooled after a brief period of speculation, multiple outlets reported Monday, with sources describing the relationship as casual and short-lived.
Australian magazine New Idea told Daily Mail Australia that people close to Elliott said the pair had been "keeping things very casual" over recent months and that the relationship was "always on borrowed time." The insider added that Elliott had not met any of Bickmore’s children and that friends and family had expressed reservations about him entering another high-profile relationship so soon after his split.
The pairing first attracted attention in July when Woman’s Day reported the two were getting to know one another. That coverage suggested the pair had been introduced by mutual friends and that Elliott had been spending time at Bickmore’s home. Rumours were further fuelled in August when Elliott liked an Instagram post of Bickmore from the 2025 Logies, where she wore a gold dress and posed at The Star.
Elliott, 44, and Bickmore, 44, have both recently separated from long-term partners. Elliott parted ways with Georgia Love, whom he met on the reality series The Bachelorette and married in 2021, in February 2025; the split prompted loved ones to warn him against rushing into another public relationship, according to the account. Bickmore ended an 11-year relationship with partner Chris Walker in 2023 and has since been at the centre of ongoing dating speculation, including long-running fan conjecture about her chemistry with radio co-host Tommy Little.
A source quoted by New Idea questioned whether the pair shared compatible priorities, saying, "It was fun but they had very different priorities." The same source added, "Lee knows there's an expiry date on playing the bachelor but for now, he's not tied down and Carrie seems just fine with that too." Neither Bickmore nor Elliott has publicly confirmed a relationship.
The reports portray the connection as discreet from its outset, with friends and family said to have stepped in after early signs of interest became public. Woman’s Day and New Idea first carried the accounts of the pair spending time together; subsequent coverage in tabloid outlets documented social-media interactions and public appearances that stoked further coverage.
Bickmore remains a prominent figure in Australian media as host of the Carrie & Tommy show on the Hit Network. Elliott rose to public attention through his appearance on The Bachelorette and his subsequent marriage to Love. Both have navigated heightened scrutiny of their private lives since their breakups, a common feature of high-profile Australian entertainment coverage.
Representatives for Bickmore and Elliott did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday. The emerging accounts underscore how quickly tentative, private connections among public figures can become headline news and then dissipate amid conflicting accounts and interventions from close contacts.