New details about Georgie Gardner’s sudden resignation from Nine News Sydney have emerged, days after the longtime host announced it was “time” to leave the network.
New details have emerged after Nine newsreader Georgie Gardner stunned viewers by announcing she was resigning after 24 years.
The longtime host, who currently fronts Nine News Sydney’s 6pm bulletin on Fridays and Saturdays, revealed last week she had “decided to call it a day” and will host her final program on April 17.
According to new reports, Gardner’s resignation came as a major shock to bosses at the network, particularly because her contract was not up for renewal until the end of this year.
Under the terms of her current deal with Nine, Gardner is said to earn $600,000 a year to read the news two evenings a week.
But amid the network’s recent cutbacks, reports say she would have been hit with a “significant” pay cut if she chose to renew her contract at the end of the year.
Instead, the 55-year-old chose to leave on “her own terms”.
“Nine accepted her resignation with something approaching a sigh of relief. Not only was a difficult conversation avoided, but the company will now save a lot of money – and earlier than expected,” the Daily Mail’s Inside Mail reports.
“With the way the television business is now, no job is safe, and some at 1 Denison Street say they never expected her to be with the network next year.
Georgie Gardner has quit Nine after 24 years. (Picture: Instagram)
“Ultimately, she went out on her own terms – not many people can say that.”
In her social media announcement, Gardner reflected on her “rich and rewarding” career and said it was “time to embark on a new chapter”.
“Some exciting news… after 34 yrs of broadcast journalism, I’ve decided to call it a day,” she wrote.
“Just shy of 24 yrs at Nine, my resignation has been accepted – which conjures up a fair bit of trepidation & exhilaration in equal measure.”
Gardner added that she is “not sure” what the future holds, but is “open to new opportunities” away from Nine.
“Time now to embark on a new chapter and not yet sure what that looks like, but I’m open to new opportunities and I’m excited,” she continued.
“So much still to learn and discover in the world, and at age 55, so much still to contribute.”
In an email to Nine staff, Head of News Fiona Dear described Gardner as being loved and respected by Aussies across the country.
“Her versatility as a journalist allowed her to take on reporting, hosting and presenting roles across the network, but it was her nine years on the Today show as newsreader and host that firmly established Georgie as a household name,” she said.
Gardner joined Channel Nine in 2002 as a weather reporter, before becoming a regular face on the network’s breakfast broadcast, The Today Show, for nine years.