Kate Ritchie shocked her fans and loyal listeners this week when she announced she was leaving her hit Nova drive show for the rest of the year due to stress.
While her future with the station appears to be up in the air, an insider tells Daily Mail Australia the network is desperate to get her back in the hot seat, and her recent drink driving scandal has nothing to do with her exit.
‘Most people at Nova are adamant Kate won’t come back, but they’ll do anything to keep her,’ the insider said.
EXCLUSIVE: A Nova FM insider has revealed the network is desperate to keep Kate Ritchie (pictured) following the star’s shock exit announcement on Thursday
‘The drink driving was unfortunate but not a factor for Nova – she’s a huge part of the family,’ they added.
The source insisted Kate’s statement on-air about being stressed and exhausted from her schedule is the real reason for her exit, and network bosses are keeping their fingers crossed she’ll change her mind and come back.
The insider also revealed Kate’s salary is even higher than the estimated $1million reported in the media, claiming the former Home and Away star was actually taking home $1.2million annually.
If Kate decides not to return, Nova are considering putting Chrissie Swan in the afternoon timeslot.
The source also claims that Ritchie was on a whopping $1.2million salary at the network
Chrissie, along with Sam Pang and Jonathan Brown, officially quit their top-rated Nova breakfast show Chrissie, Sam & Browny, after seven years on-air.
According to the insider, the announcement stunned Nova staff, with all employees at the station receiving an email at 8.30am from CEO Peter Charlton with a press release attached.
Chrissie said on Friday that despite the announcement coming as a shock to their listeners, the time was right for the trio to leave.
The popular Melbourne-based star, who also appears on The Project and is a judge on The Masked Singer, said she was preparing to adopt a new role at Nova following 20 years in breakfast radio.
If Kate decides not to return, Nova are considering putting Chrissie Swan (pictured) in the afternoon timeslot
Meanwhile, Kate will be off the air for the remainder of the year, but will return alongside co-hosts Joel Creasey and Tim Blackwell in early 2023.
Kate, 43, who was busted for low-range drink driving in August, explained to listeners she’d had an ‘incredibly hectic and full-on’ year and needed time off.
‘This past year has been incredibly hectic and full-on for both me and my family,’ she said on Thursday.
‘I have had much change and increased stress in my life, like many of you, in a short space of time. And it has taken its toll.
‘But still I am so proud that our Nova show, with Tim and Joel and the team, is just powering along, and going from strength to strength.’
Chrissie, along with Sam Pang and Jonathan Brown, officially quit their top-rated Nova breakfast show Chrissie, Sam & Browny, after seven years on-air. All pictured
She added: ‘We love our audience and they seem to put up with us.
‘And as you may have guessed, I invest a lot of emotional energy into everything I do, my work, and my family especially, and the last few months I have been working on radio, I’ve been returning to TV and in my spare time, I even wrote a children’s book.
‘So, it’s simple, like some of you, I imagine, I’m tired and I just need a break for a short while and have more time for me, and for my family, to re-energise.
‘I have spoken with the bosses at Nova, and they have graciously agreed that this is a good time to take the break, as we approach the end of the year.
‘Nova has been fabulous and understanding, so thank you Nova, and thank you Tim, Joel and the team, and most importantly, thank you to all of our fabulous listeners. I really mean that.
‘It’s time to recharge the batteries and come back fresh next year. And although it’s only for a short time, I will miss you all. I’ll see you in the New Year.’
Kate, 43, who was busted for low-range drink driving in August, explained to listeners she’d had an ‘incredibly hectic and full-on’ year and needed time off
Peter Charlton, the chief executive of Nova Entertainment, said: ‘Kate is a talented broadcaster and a respected member of the Kate, Tim & Joel and Nova Network team.
‘We are very supportive of Kate’s decision to take some time for herself and her family. We look forward to welcoming her back in the New Year.’
Kate, who is currently appearing as a judge on Channel Seven’s Australia’s Got Talent, first joined Nova FM in 2007.
The child star began hosting the Kate, Tim & Marty drive show with Blackwell and Marty Sheargold in 2014.
Creasy was hired in 2020 when Sheargold left for Triple M.
The star, who is currently appearing as a judge on Channel Seven’s Australia’s Got Talent (pictured), first joined Nova FM in 2007
Rumours about Kate’s future at Nova began swirling in August, after she was charged with drink-driving in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
She was stopped by police for a random breath test in her Subaru station wagon at 2.45pm, tested positive by the roadside and was taken to Maroubra Police Station.
There she underwent a secondary breath analysis which returned a positive reading of 0.06 – just over the legal limit.
A NSW Police spokesman said at the time: ‘She was issued with an infringement notice for the offence of Drive with Low Range Prescribed Concentration of Alcohol and issued a Licence Suspension Notice.’
Kate, who shares a young daughter with ex-husband Stuart Webb, is understood to have been fined $600 on the spot and suspended from driving for three months.
Rumours about Kate’s future at Nova began swirling in August, after she was charged with drink-driving in Sydney’s eastern suburbs
She is understood to have been fined $600 on the spot and suspended from driving for three months. She later issued this apology on Instagram
She later issued a statement on Instagram expressing remorse for her actions.
‘Recently I undertook a random breath test. Although it was low level, the test came back positive,’ she wrote.
‘I made a poor decision and there is no doubt I understand the seriousness of my actions. I am truly sorry.’
At the time of her charge, listeners had noticed Kate’s frequent absences from the show after she clocked up a series of extended holidays in recent years.
At one point in 2020, she took seven consecutive weeks of leave from her late-afternoon shift, which one radio figure said was ‘unheard of’.
Kate will be off the air for the remainder of the year but will return alongside co-hosts Joel Creasey and Tim Blackwell in early 2023
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