I just can't keep telling the apps that it's me
In the quiet aftermath of a marriage's end and amid the ordinary rhythms of professional life, two radio personalities find themselves caught in the oldest of human puzzles: the ambiguous space between friendship and something more. Carrie Bickmore and Tommy Little, photographed together at a Cairns media retreat, have become unwilling subjects of a public imagination eager to write their story for them. What is certain is only what is visible — proximity, warmth, and the persistent human tendency to find meaning in the space between two people.
- A single Instagram photo from a fellow host, captioned with a knowing wink, reignited months of simmering speculation about whether Bickmore and Little's friendship has quietly become something else.
- The tension deepens because the signals contradict each other — Little publicly declares he is single and on dating apps, yet private helicopter rides and constant appearances together tell a different story.
- Mutual friend Hamish Blake attempted to defuse the rumours with the logic of proximity — if it were true, his notoriously loose-lipped connections would have already let it slip.
- A deleted social media post from Bickmore's estranged husband, featuring Little awkwardly in the background of a family portrait, added a charged and unresolved note to the speculation before quietly disappearing.
- With no confirmation or denial strong enough to hold, every new public appearance resets the cycle — the story refuses to land anywhere but in the fertile uncertainty where it began.
A photograph shared to Instagram by radio host Abbie Chatfield has crystallised weeks of quiet speculation into something harder to dismiss. Taken at the Cannes in Cairns media retreat in far north Queensland, it shows Carrie Bickmore and Tommy Little seated side by side — and Chatfield's caption, a playful apology to both of them, made clear she understood exactly what she was releasing into the world.
The backdrop to the image is significant. Bickmore separated from her husband Chris Walker in January, the two releasing a measured joint statement focused on their children and their shared dignity. Little has been single since 2021. In the months since Bickmore's separation, he has been a visible presence in her orbit — photographed at events, publicly praising her as someone who lifts everyone around her, and notably arranging a private helicopter flight over Melbourne to mark the end of her time on The Project.
Yet Little has also been direct about his own situation. On a May radio appearance, he told listeners he was single, ready to meet someone, and had even joined Raya after being repeatedly flagged as an impersonator on other apps. Asked plainly if he was unattached, he said yes without hesitation.
Hamish Blake, close to Little's roommate, was pulled into the conversation on The Kyle and Jackie O Show and dismissed the rumours on practical grounds — his best mate is constitutionally incapable of keeping secrets, and nothing had reached him.
Then there was the deleted post. Walker briefly shared an old promotional image featuring himself, Bickmore, their children, and Little hovering in the background. It vanished without explanation, leaving only the question of what it was meant to say.
What persists is a friendship that has become unreadable from the outside — two people who support each other, appear together often, and have both denied any romance, yet continue to generate the same question every time they are seen in the same frame.
A photo posted to Instagram by radio host Abbie Chatfield last week has done what weeks of speculation could not: placed Carrie Bickmore and Tommy Little squarely in the same frame, together in Cairns, with Chatfield's cheeky caption—"Sorry to Carrie and Tommy for this pic"—serving as a wink to the rumour mill that has been grinding since January.
Bickmore and Little, both established radio personalities and long-time friends, were in far north Queensland for a panel discussion at the Cannes in Cairns retreat. Neither had posted about the trip themselves. But Chatfield, also at the event, shared multiple images from the gathering: the pair seated side by side discussing their media careers, all three on stage together, and the candid shot that has now become exhibit A in the ongoing speculation about whether their friendship has shifted into something more.
The timing matters. Bickmore separated from her husband Chris Walker in January, releasing a joint statement that emphasized their focus on their three children and their intention to move forward with dignity. The split opened a door in the public imagination, and Little—single since his 2021 breakup with Natalie Kyriacou—has been standing nearby ever since. He has been photographed with her at events. He treated her to a private helicopter flight over Melbourne after she wrapped her time on The Project. He has publicly praised her as "the best in the business," someone who "lifts everyone up around her."
But Little himself has muddied the waters. In a radio conversation that aired on May 4, he told the hosts of 2DAY FM's Hughesy, Ed & Erin show that he was single and ready to mingle. He has signed up for Raya, the celebrity dating app, after being repeatedly reported as fake on other platforms. "I just can't keep telling the apps that it's me," the 38-year-old said, "because it's so desperate saying, 'Hey, Tinder, that's actually me!'"
When asked directly if he was single, he answered without hesitation: yes. That answer should have settled things. Instead, it has only deepened the puzzle. How can someone be actively dating other people while being photographed constantly with the same person, while sending private helicopters and public praise in their direction?
Hamish Blake, who is close to Little's roommate John, was asked about the rumours on The Kyle and Jackie O Show. He dismissed them flatly. "John is my best mate and he is terrible at keeping secrets," Blake said. "So there's no way. I definitely would have heard about it." The logic was sound: if it were true, someone would have told him by now.
Then there is the matter of the deleted photo. When dating rumours began to circulate, Chris Walker posted—and then quickly removed—a promotional shot from their radio show. It featured a pregnant Bickmore with her two oldest children, Oliver and Evie, Walker standing behind her with his hands on her belly, and Little positioned awkwardly in the background, appearing to play the role of third wheel. No caption accompanied the post, but the message seemed clear enough. The photo has since vanished, leaving only the question of what Walker meant by sharing it in the first place.
What remains is a friendship that has become impossible to read from the outside. Two people who work together, who have supported each other through major life changes, who are frequently seen in each other's company, and who have both insisted—through their own words or through their representatives—that they are not romantically involved. Yet the photographs keep coming. The helicopter rides keep happening. The public appearances continue. And every time they are spotted together, the speculation starts again.
Notable Quotes
I just can't keep telling the apps that it's me, because it's so desperate saying, 'Hey, Tinder, that's actually me!'— Tommy Little, on 2DAY FM's Hughesy, Ed & Erin show
John is my best mate and he is terrible at keeping secrets so, there's no way, I definitely would have heard about it— Hamish Blake, responding to dating rumour speculation on The Kyle and Jackie O Show
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does it matter whether they're dating or not? They're adults, they're friends—isn't that enough?
It matters because we live in a culture that treats friendship between attractive people as a kind of unresolved question. The public wants a resolution. Are they together or aren't they? The ambiguity itself becomes the story.
But Little said he was single. Doesn't that settle it?
You'd think so. But he said it while also being photographed constantly with her, while also sending her helicopters. His words and his actions are telling two different stories, and people notice that gap.
Maybe they're just close friends. Maybe that's normal for them.
It might be. But in the context of her recent separation, and his public availability, and the frequency of their appearances together, it reads differently to people watching from outside. Context changes everything.
What about Hamish Blake's comment? He said he would know if they were dating.
That's the most interesting part, actually. Blake is essentially saying: trust my access, trust my proximity to the truth. But he's also assuming that if something were happening, it would be told to him. What if it's not? What if they're keeping it private, or what if nothing is happening at all?
So we're left with no answer.
We're left with a photograph, a helicopter ride, a deleted post, and two people who keep showing up in the same frame. That's the actual story—not whether they're dating, but why we can't stop asking.