‘I’m drawing a line under this amazing story’: Studio 10’s Joe Hildebrand breaks down in tears as he announces his decision to QUIT the show live on air
Studio 10 panellist Joe Hildebrand has announced he is quitting the show live on air.
On Thursday, the 44-year-old broke down in tears as he revealed he had come to the difficult decision to depart the show after seven years of service following a ‘huge amount of thought’.
Joe, whose position on the morning talk show was in discussion following Channel 10’s brutal budget cuts last month, added he ‘wanted to rip the band-aid off quickly to not make it any harder than it otherwise would be.’
‘My time here has been wonderful’: After seven years of service, Studio 10 panellist Joe Hildebrand has announced he is quitting the show live on air
A devastated Joe began: ‘I do have some news. I want to say it here first before you saw it or heard it anywhere else.
‘I am leaving Studio 10. I have given it a huge amount of thought. It’s been really hard, but also really lovely to be able to look back on all the things we have done.
‘We all know the show is getting a bit of a shake-up. Channel 10 and my lovely bosses asked me if I’d stay on in a new role. We talked about it openly and warmly about what that might look like.’
Speaking of his bosses’ reaction to him deciding to leave Studio 10, Joe added: ‘They’re really lovely about it, so don’t lash out at them!
‘I just thought, it’s probably just better to draw a line under this amazing little story that I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of.
On Thursday, the 44-year-old broke down in tears as he revealed he had come to the difficult decision to depart the show after seven years of service following a ‘huge amount of thought’
‘[I want to] give the show a chance to breathe and have a fresh start without me hanging around.
‘With all painful things you want to rip the band-aid off quickly and not make it any harder than it otherwise would be.
It’s just been an amazing… I promise I wouldn’t use the word ‘journey’… but [it’s been] such an amazing time!’
Joe began tearing up as he gushed about his ‘wonderful seven years’ on the show, as well as his relationship with his ‘work wife’ Sarah Harris.
Harris also broke down into tears upon hearing Joe’s kinds words about her.
Despite the emotional news, Joe’s reassured viewers that he was ‘talking to other people about some exciting work opportunities’.
He noted that while there was a ‘light at the end of the tunnel for him’, there were other people across the country who had been left ‘absolutely smashed’ by losing their job due to the COVID-19 pandemic.