Rebecca Maddern confirms move to Channel Seven: ‘Job of a lifetime’

Not long after announcing her departure from Channel Nine after five and a half years, where she hosted Australian Ninja Warrior and Weekend Today, Rebecca Maddern has revealed her next career move.

The TV presenter took to Instagram on Sunday to share that she will be returning to rival network Channel Seven as 7News Melbourne’s weekend newsreader alongside Mike Amor.

“I walked through the door of Channel Seven when I was just 24 years old as a young cadet and now I return to read the weekend news,” she wrote.

“I couldn’t be happier to sit beside Mike, he’s one of the best journos in the country. He’s reported on every major news event across the world over the past 20 years.

"I’ve had an amazing time on The AFL Footy Show, Australian Ninja Warrior, the Australian Open Tennis, Cricket World Cup and of course Weekend Today. I’ve been very lucky and may the adventure continue.”

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Speaking with The Herald Sun, Rebecca described her new role as “a job of a lifetime” and said that it’s “a real honour”.

“These opportunities don't come up very often,” she told the publication. “You only have to look at the main anchors and how long they have been in those roles, so it is not lost on me how lucky I am.”

Rebecca made the shock announcement that she was leaving Channel Nine back in November, telling The Herald Sun that she was sad to leave but “excited for what’s next”.

In a statement, a Channel Nine spokesperson said: “Bec has been a great contributor to Nine since she joined us and we wish her well for the future”.

Shortly after her departure it was speculated that Rebecca was “on the verge” of signing a deal with Channel Seven, where she had previously worked from 2002 to 2016 on Seven Afternoon News and Sunrise as their Melbourne correspondent.

Her former Australian Ninja Warrior co-host Ben Fordham also spoke on the You Cannot Be Serious podcast about where he predicted she would go next.

“I'll make this prediction, and I want to stress that she did not tell me this, but I’d say she’ll turn up at Channel Seven,” he said. “She’ll return to Channel Seven. That’d be my tip. It’ll be Channel Seven... or Channel 10. I can’t imagine Bec at the ABC or SBS.”

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