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Karen Martini stepped back from regular appearances on Better Homes and Gardens during 2024 after more than 17 years with the Australian program. The show’s January announcement said she would still share recipes, just less often; an April magazine interview later framed the change as a goodbye.
What changed for Karen Martini on Better Homes and Gardens?
On 22 January 2024, Better Homes and Gardens Australia announced that Martini would step back from regular appearances on the show that year. The wording matters: the initial announcement was about ending her regular TV appearances, not an immediate end to every contribution. It said she would continue sharing recipes, “just not every week.” The program’s announcement explained the change.
By April, the magazine described Martini as saying goodbye after more than 17 years. She told the publication, “I needed to make big changes moving forward,” and expressed gratitude for her time on the show and in the magazine. The April 2024 interview also described her as having shared more than 700 recipes with the show and magazine.
Why did she decide to step back?
Martini’s January explanation centered on competing commitments and family. “To manage the multitude of projects on my plate, I’ve decided to step back from Better Homes and Gardens this year,” she said in the program’s announcement. She also noted that her daughters were in their final teenage years, including Stella’s Year 12 studies.
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The April interview added context about her work: Johnny’s Green Room and Saint George in Melbourne, and her oversight of Thyme at Alba on the Mornington Peninsula. Martini also said she wanted to explore other presenting styles and take a breather. These were the reasons she and the publication gave; the sources do not establish a single cause beyond those stated commitments and priorities.
How the change unfolded in 2024
- 13 January: Better Homes and Gardens announced Colin Fassnidge as resident chef, saying he would initially join Martini. His first episode was scheduled for 2 February. The announcement provides that program context.
- 22 January: The program announced Martini would step back from regular appearances during the year, while continuing recipe contributions less frequently.
- April: The magazine’s farewell interview described her departure after more than 17 years and looked back on her work with the publication.
- 25 January: 7NEWS also reported the departure and published host Johanna Griggs’s tribute, offering contemporaneous corroboration. 7NEWS’s report covered the announcement.
What viewers and readers can expect from her work
The January announcement said Martini would continue contributing recipes, but not on a weekly basis. That is the clearest published description of what would continue after the step-back announcement. The April interview’s figure of more than 700 recipes refers to what she had shared with the show and magazine over her tenure, not to a promise of future output.
Readers looking for her cooking can browse the recipe links included with the program’s announcement. The April interview identifies Martini as an author of multiple cookbooks, but does not name a particular title or establish its current availability.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Was Karen Martini leaving television altogether?
The 2024 statements establish her step back from regular appearances on Better Homes and Gardens; they do not establish that she stopped all television work or all association with the publication. The available sources also do not document her complete television activity after that period. It is therefore more accurate to describe this as a goodbye to her regular role on the program, rather than a definitive end to every on-screen or recipe contribution.
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