Melissa Doyle reveals her firing from Seven wasn’t a total shock

It was announced last month that Melissa Doyle would be leaving Seven after an incredible 25 years of service with the network.

In her first interview since her shock departure, the 50-year-old journalist told The Sunday Telegraph’s Stellar magazine this week that the axing wasn’t out of the blue.

‘I wouldn’t say it came as a total shock, I just felt really sad,’ she admitted. 

Melissa also revealed how she allowed herself one day to ‘wallow on the couch’. 

‘I let myself have one day when I wallowed on the couch and had a gin and tonic a little earlier than I should have,’ the mother-of-two said with a laugh. 

The wallowing was short-lived, with Melissa telling Stellar how grateful she is to have had such an illustrious career with Seven.

‘I’ve had more opportunities than I could’ve imagined. I’ve covered more stories, been to more places and met more people than the 16-year-old girl who wanted to be a journalist could’ve dreamt of,’ she said.   

During her career, Melissa hosted several of Seven’s flagship programs, including Sunrise, Today Tonight, 7News, Sunday Night and The Latest. 

Her departure is believed to be the result of the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has hit Seven particularly hard.  

Melissa first joined Seven’s Canberra bureau as a political reporter back in 1995. She then moved to Sydney, working as a newsreader on the 11AM program. 

After 11 years working alongside David Koch on Sunrise, she announced she was leaving Sunrise, departing in August 2013. 

Melissa remained with the network, however, presenting Seven Afternoon News and Seven News at 7.

In 2015, she was announced as host and senior correspondent for Sunday Night, but the current affairs show was cancelled in October 2019, as a cost-cutting measure. 

David Koch praised Melissa for her talent in a heartfelt tribute aired on the 7pm News last month. 

‘Sunrise wouldn’t be what it is today without Mel Doyle. She was part of the founding group that sort of reimagined breakfast television,’ the 64-year-old said.   

David went on to commend Melissa for her endearing personality off-camera.

‘She’s incredibly warm and she’s compassionate. She’s family oriented. [Got] a great sense of humour, great values. And we almost became part of each other’s family.’