‘I didn’t see this coming.’

In one of the biggest shake ups in Australian TV history, Network 10 has officially axed their long-running current affairs show The Project, with long-time hosts Sarah Harris, Waleed Aly and Hamish Macdonald unceremoniously dumped, with all three expected to leave the network in the next couple of weeks.

And in an email to all staff, it was also announced that a brand new one-hour “news, current affairs and insights” program will air six nights a week on the Ten network [from Sunday to Friday] to be hosted by former Seven network stars Denham Hitchcock and Amelia Brace, who were reportedly persuaded to jump ship for a rumoured $350,000 each.
(Credit: Instagram)

ROCKED TO THE CORE

And while many believe in these ever-changing times that all good things must eventually come to an end, Woman’s Day can now exclusively reveal that behind the scenes it’s been one of the most devastating days for Sarah Harris in her 25-year career.

“Anyone who knows Sarah will agree that she is that person, no matter what is going on, who will put on a brave face and a big smile and tell everyone she is okay, when clearly she is absolutely shattered,” a close friend shares with Woman’s Day.

“It has always been on her terms throughout her career so while the rumour mill was running hot that The Project was getting the axe, she never expected it to end like this.

“From the early days when she worked up in Brisbane as a news cadet more than 20 years ago for the Seven network, to moving to Nine’s Today show in 2007, and finally defecting in 2013 to host Studio 10, she just assumed her loyalty with the Ten network for more than 12 years would count for something,” the friend explains.

“To be told this is the end of the road has rocked her to the core – a lot of her pals at Ten were hoping she  might stay on but while she’s gutted, she’s also relieved that at least it’s been announced and she can now just enjoy some precious time with her boys. She has woken up today according to our mutual friend just relieved I think – and don’t forget she would’ve got quite the payout.

“She’s such a polished act – why didn’t they include her in this brand-new program they’ve been cooking up these past few months? There’s a lot of very unhappy staffers at Ten who are wondering why the network has reportedly poached all this new talent from elsewhere and spent a truckload of money on all new people when they have some serious players already in their stable – it doesn’t make sense,” says the friend.

And while The Project saw plenty of big stars grace the desk over the years – Carrie Bickmore, Lisa Wilkinson, Tommy Little, Dave Hughes, and Charlie Pickering – it seems not even huge production budgets could save them.
(Credit: Instagram)

A HELPING HAND FROM FRIENDS

In the meantime, Sarah, a single mum to two boys Paul, 9, and Harry, 7, who she shares with ex-husband Tom Ward, and who at 43 is at the prime of her career, might consider picking up the phone to to speak to some of her old pals at Nine and Seven.

“Sarah always had a great rapport with Karl [Stefanovic], and she has remained great mates with plenty of Nine’s senior female staffers, so there’s hope there that something might materialise,” confirms the friend.

“During her years at Seven, she always made sure she never burned any bridges. The problem there is that they actually have a female talent pool bursting at the seams. The job that’s a good fit for Sarah is co-hosting Sunrise – and there’s no way Natalie Barr is going anywhere, anytime soon!”

Breaking her silence shortly after the shock announcement, Sarah couldn’t help but have some fun, telling The Sydney Morning Herald, ‘I’ve had a blast, [but] it’s time for me to take a breath and spend some time with my boys. Keep an eye out for my OnlyFans page!’ she joked.

Viewers soon took to the comments to voice their love for their favourite TV host. “Thanks for all your support and honest opinions on topics!” one person wrote. “Sad to see you guys going!” another said.

With very few jobs up for grabs on the small screen, one industry expert believes Sarah may even end up on our airwaves, giving the likes of Kyle and Jackie O a run for their money!

“She’s such a talent, and huge networks like Nova and KIIS FM, and even 2GB, could start knocking on her door, knowing what a major asset she would be,” confirms the source.

“Waleed [Aly] will also land on his feet and already there’s whispers he’s got plenty of offers in the pipeline, and] Hamish Macdonald has his ABC radio gig.

“Sarah will be back in the mix in no time – it’s just sad that Ten couldn’t see that [The Project] still had so much to give!”