The tears were a’ flowin’ on the Studio 10 set today with the news that co-host Joe Hildebrand announced he is leaving the show.
“I am leaving Studio 10,” said Hildebrand, who been on Studio 10 since it kicked off in 2013. “I have given it a huge amount of thought. It has been really hard.”
It comes following the shock announcement from Channel 10 last month that Studio 10 would be getting a major shake-up due to cost cuts, with Kerri-Anne Kennerley and Natarsha Belling set to leave the program. Beloved weatherman Tim Bailey was also revealed to be leaving the network.
“We all know the show is getting a bit of a shake-up,” Hildebrand said on Studio 10 today. “Channel 10 and my lovely bosses asked me if I would stay in a new role. We talked warmly and openly about what that might look like, and they were really keen and really lovely about it.”
But in the end, Hildebrand said he decided to exit his longterm role in order to “give the new show, whatever it may look like, a chance to breathe and have a fresh start without me hanging around”.
Hildebrand was emotional as he thanked his co-host Sarah Harris, who he called his “best friend, my work wife” while announcing that his last day on air will be tomorrow.
Joe went on to thank the show’s loyal viewers, saying: “People often stare down their nose at daytime television because it is only watched by pensioners at home or … housewives. They’re the people I love. They’re the battlers. They’re people who have often had really tough lives and they’ve overcome that and I just draw great strength and inspiration from them.”
As for what’s next, he said, “I’m talking to other people about exciting stuff that I can do.”
Studio 10 will soon see a new fresh face in the form of Dancing With The Stars judge Tristan MacManus who will be joining Harris as a co-host from September 14th onwards, while Narelda Jacobs will continue to read the news, Angela Bishop will cover entertainment and Denise Drysdale, Craig Bennett and Jono Coleman will still appear from time to time.
