Lauren Phillips announces her departure from Weekend Today

Lauren Phillips announces her departure from Weekend Today and reveals the reason why she quit her ‘dream job’

By Mary Mrad For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 05:13 GMT, 28 November 2021 | Updated: 05:13 GMT, 28 November 2021

Lauren Phillips has quit her job at Channel Nine’s Weekend Today to focus on her radio career.

The 34-year-old weather presenter announced she will be leaving the breakfast show on Sunday.

Lauren told the Herald Sun it’s been too difficult juggling both her TV and radio role for KIIS FM.

Quit: Lauren Phillips, 34, (pictured) announced her departure from Weekend Today and revealed the reason why she quit her ‘dream job’ on Sunday

‘I’ve been managing a seven morning a week juggle for the last five months and I tried with every part of me to be able to make that possible so I could keep doing this job but unfortunately we all need a life/work balance,’ she said.

‘So I’m saying goodbye to Weekend Today, which is really sad, and it’s a job I desperately wanted for a really long time.’

She continued: ‘So to walk away from a dream job is never easy but I’m very grateful to have this opportunity.’

Lauren has been juggling her Weekend Today commitments with her KIIS 101.1 breakfast radio job since August.

‘I need balance’: Lauren told the Herald Sun, it’s been too difficult juggling both her TV and radio role for KIIS FM

It comes after Phillips was forced to apologise on air to the mother of a murdered child earlier this month. 

Aspiring dancer Rachel Barber was just 15 when Caroline Reed Robertson strangled her to death with a telephone cord in a plot to steal her identity in 1999.

Phillips disgusted the family and friends of the murdered dancer when she laughed on KIIS 101.1 while listening to a podcast describing her brutal murder.

Stepping away: She has been juggling her Weekend Today commitments with her KIIS 101.1 breakfast radio job since August

She told listeners earlier this month she had been unaware the audio that producers had played during her conversation had been taken from the the very real life CASEFILE series of true crime podcasts.

The chat saw Phillips describe how she had used the podcast discussing Rachel’s tragic murder to cheer herself up.

‘Am I a psychopath?’ Phillips asked during the conversation with co-host Jason ‘Jase’ Hawkins, outraging Elizabeth Barber, her friends and family.

Choking back tears, Phillips said she had never intended to use audio of a real life crime to go with her on-air chat.

‘All of us here on the show were devastated when we realised what we had done. The show takes full responsibility and our background checks on the source of audio should have been more thorough,’ Phillips said.

Controversy: The move comes after Phillips (pictured in 2020) upset the friends and family of murder victim Rachel Barber with an insensitive segment on Melbourne radio. She described how she had used a podcast discussing Rachel’s tragic murder to cheer herself up

Hawkins too apologised for his limited role in the conversation and thanked Rachel’s mother for taking their calls to apologise in person.

‘She didn’t have to do that and we both had chats with her and yeah we appreciate her taking the call,’ he said.

Phillips added that the incident had impacted deeply on the entire production crew.

‘We really, from the bottom of our hearts, are very sorry that that audio was used, but we are deeply sorry and we will do everything in our power to ensure nothing like that ever happens again on our show,’ she said.

Apology: Choking back tears, Phillips (right) said she had never intended to use audio of a real life crime to go with her on-air chat. Hawkins (left) too apologised for his limited role in the conversation and thanked Rachel’s mother for taking their calls to apologise in person

:

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk