Tony Armstrong has announced he is leaving his role with ABC News Breakfast after three years.
The beloved Aussie TV star, 34, left fans devastated when he confirmed the shock news of his departure live on air on Tuesday morning.
Tony revealed his last show will air in less than two weeks time on October 4 but shared his hopes that he will be able to return as a guest in a heartfelt statement.
‘I’ve been pretty nervous about doing this,’ Tony confirmed in a heartfelt announcement. ‘I’ve retired from News Brekkie and my last day will be October 4.’
‘I just want to thank absolutely everyone – all of you guys, my colleagues, everyone behind the camera, all the producers, all the people who watch as well and come up in the street and say g’day and all that kind of stuff.
‘Um, yeah, it’s been a whirlwind sort of three-and-a-touch years. A lot’s happened. Feels like I’ve been on a bit of a rocket ship. But the support that I’ve got from News Brekkie and news in general has been amazing.’
‘Huge thank you, I’m going to miss the couch – I’m not going to miss the alarm, but I’ll miss the couch. I’ve had such a ball,’ he added.
The former Sydney Swans star confirmed he has an exciting new project coming out with ABC next year but remained coy on the details of the mystery job.
Tony Armstrong has announced he is leaving his role with ABC News Breakfast after three years
‘I’ve got something coming out early next year, not allowed to say what it is yet, it’s top secret,’ he teased.
His co-host Michael Rowland paid tribute to Tony as he shared his sorrow about the fan favourite talent stepping down from the program.
He gushed: ‘We’ll miss you, I’ll miss swapping sports stories and gags with you, honestly mate – even though you aren’t a morning person, we can all attest to that – you’ve brightened so many mornings.’
Michael, 56, went on to reference Tony’s milestone 2024 Logies nomination as he praised him for the prestigious achievement.
‘I’m so glad this show has provided you with a platform to become an award-winning household name and you’ll go on to much bigger and better things,’ he said.
His fellow host Bridget Brennan added: ‘I know it’s meant so much to me and to thousands upon thousands of First Nations viewers waking up to see Tony representing us on the daily.’
His exit comes just weeks after he was nominated for the prestigious Gold Logie last month along with a whole string of Aussie TV talents.
While he was up against the likes of Julia Morris, Asher Keddie, Andy Lee, Sonia Kruger and Robert Irwin, he ultimately lost out on the win to TV veteran Larry Emdur
He was also in the running for most popular presenter but the Bert Newton Award was once again also taken home by The Morning Show’s Larry in a landslide win.
Tony has become a firm fan favourite on ABC News Breakfast ever since he took on the regular role discussing the sports headlines in 2020.
He replaced Paul Kennedy on the sports segment and has soared to huge acclaim since, with his Logies nomination coming within the first few years of his TV career.
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