Ali Clarke’s surprising radio replacement named as Mix FM host takes leave of absence amid breast cancer battle

Ali Clarke’s replacement has been announced, days after the radio star made the heartbreaking admission she was taking time off to battle breast cancer.

Veteran Channel Nine presenter Hayley Pearson will fill in as a ‘seat warmer’ alongside Clarke’s co-star Max Burford.

Clarke revealed in a statement she could think of no one more suited to the role than Pearson: ‘I’ve known Hayley for years and when she left brekkie radio she said she would never get up early again.

‘For her to come out of “retirement” for me and our listeners fills me with joy. I could not have hoped for a better person to keep Max in line.’ 

Meanwhile, Hayley, who is the co-host of Channel Nine’s lifestyle program HelloSA, said she was honoured to help her friend during this difficult time.

‘The first thing I thought of was ALL the people Ali has helped over the years with a cancer diagnosis,’ Hayley began.

‘She has been an absolute star to these people and their families. I said I’d never do brekkie radio again, but the sisterhood is powerful. Ali is the only reason I would come back. I will keep her seat warm while she heals.’ 

Clarke’s Mix 102.3 Max and Ali co-host Max Burford added Pearson was the perfect fit to ensure the show continued to run smoothly.

‘It’s a great relief to have a pro like Hayley who can seamlessly fit in and keep the show pointing in the right direction, while Ali fights the good fight,’ he said.

Pearson will step into the role from 6am on Monday, 29 July for the indefinite future. 

It comes after Clarke broke down during Tuesday’s show when she revealed she had breast cancer.

Ali shocked listeners when she announced she will take a break from radio as she undergoes treatment for breast cancer.

Clarke revealed in a statement she could think of no one more suited to fill in for her than Hayley

‘I thought it was very small and manageable. But found quite a lot of small little cancers. And so that means that I’ll be going in for some pretty big surgery later this week, and I’ll have to take some time off to recover as you can imagine,’ she said. 

‘I’ve never dressed skimpily, like I’ve never put my boobs on display. They’ve absolutely been functional. In fact, when I was growing up, they almost got in the way of playing sport.’

The radio host then broke down in tears as she emotionally opened up about ‘losing a part’ of herself.

It comes after Clarke broke down during Tuesday’s show when she revealed she had breast cancer