Edwina Bartholomew has made the frank admission she suffers from an unusual but common addiction.
The Sunrise reporter, 41, revealed in an piece for 7News on Friday that she is ‘addicted’ to using her smartphone and often uses it for up to six hours a day.
‘I am a phone addict. Every time my daily screen time notifications pop up, I am afraid to look, embarrassed to admit to you how out of hand it has become,’ Edwina began.
‘Five hours. There I said it. Ok, maybe six some days. That is the amount of time I spend on this damn device.’
Edwina added she knew it was not good to spend so much time on her phone but she couldn’t help herself as there were so many things she needed to check up on.
‘It’s currently 10am and I have already picked up my phone 87 times with the first time at 2.22 when my toddler woke me up.
‘In my defence, we work in an industry that is 24/7. I don’t sit at a desk during the day so my phone is often used for email, admin and other tasks required to keep life ticking along. If that sounds like an excuse, it is.’
Edwina Bartholomew (pictured) has made the frank admission she suffers from an unusual but common addiction
She added she had set a firm New Years Resolution to minimise her screen time and was committed to sticking to it.
‘On January 1, I changed my phone settings. I started using ‘Downtime’ on my iPhone. Go to settings, Screen Time and set your scheduled phone switch-off period.
‘My productivity at home in evenings went through the roof and so did my presence.
‘I wasn’t reaching for a dopamine hit during the stressful bedtime routine and I was finding myself reading to my kids for longer without the distraction of trying to get back to my online to-do list.’
Edwina added while it was indeed challenging to stick to her resolution she was determined to do so to ensure she could spend more time with her family.
In November, it was revealed the veteran reporter was set to take on a new role at Channel Seven, just two months after she publicly revealed her heartbreaking cancer diagnosis.
The South Australian-born reporter is rumoured to be shifting from her long held role at the Seven breakfast show and moving into a role at the network’s Sydney newsroom.
Her shift into the news department is said to be dependant on when veteran newsreader Ann Sanders, 64, announces her retirement, reports news.com.au.
The Sunrise reporter, 41, revealed in an piece for 7News that she is addicted to using her smartphone and often uses it for up to six hours a day
Edwina added she knew it was not good to spend so much time on her phone but she couldn’t help it as there were so many things she needed to check up on
The proposed move is also said to make things easier for Edwina, who would no longer have to wake up at 4am to get ready for work, as she continues to battle a mild form of leukaemia.
In September, Edwina revealed on-air she had been diagnosed with cancer in a tearful admission.
‘I have been diagnosed with cancer. That’s a shock and hard to say,’ she sadly told viewers.
‘It is a really good kind. It is called chronic myeloid leukaemia. It can be treated with a daily tablet. If I can take care of myself, I will be completely fine.’
Edwina went on to reveal her co-star Natalie Barr was to thank for her getting diagnosed as quickly as she had been – Her colleague had her own cancer scare in June, after a routine skin check uncovered skin cancer on her nose.
Concerned about her own health, Edwina visited her doctor for a mammogram, blood tests and a skin check – before discovering the harrowing news.
‘I had a mammogram after I had a few lumps. That came back all clear. I even had an eye check.
‘That’s fine. But my doctor sent me to get routine blood tests at the same time,’ Edwina continued.
‘One of those tests came back with levels out of whack.
‘I feel lucky and I wanted to share this with you for a couple of reasons. Firstly, because everyone at home and here has been here for all the wonderful times, for the engagements, the weddings and the babies, for all of us.’
The longtime Seven star shares children Molly, four, and Thomas, two, with her husband of six years Neil Varcoe.
