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The Project's Waleed Aly signs 'seven-figure' deal to stay at Ten
The Project's Waleed Aly has reportedly signed a multi-year deal with Channel 10 following rumours he may be hired to replace Leigh Sales as the host of ABC's 7:30.
Leigh's announcement that she will be leaving 7:30 following the federal election came at the same time Waleed's contract was up for renewal with Ten, leading to rumours he may go back to ABC where he started his career.
Now, The Australian has reported that Waleed will be staying with Ten after signing a "seven-figure" to continue hosting The Project four nights a week "until the mid-2020s".
It comes as Carrie Bickmore revealed last week that she and her family will be heading over to the UK, meaning she will be away from the desk for three months.
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"Signing Waleed is a statement that The Project is an integral part of 10's program schedule. It’s not going anywhere," a source told The Australian.
Waleed's deal also reportedly includes "sweeteners" that allow him to appear on ABC shows such as Insiders, Offsiders and Q+A.
The Project has also reportedly renewed Lisa Wilkinson and Hamish Macdonald's contracts.
Ten announced last week that Chrissie Swan and Georgie Tunny will step in while Carrie is away travelling.
In a statement on Thursday, Channel 10 said, "Friends of The Project, Chrissie Swan and Georgie Tunny, will join hosts Lisa Wilkinson, Waleed Aly, Peter Helliar, Hamish Macdonald and Tommy Little while Carrie Bickmore and her family go on a well-deserved adventure."
Taking to Instagram, Chrissie admitted that taking on the role 'scares' her, but that was the very reason she said yes.
"In the spirit of saying ‘yes’ to things that scare me a little bit (actually a lot), and pushing myself out of my comfort zone, I have accepted the challenge to fill in for [Carrie Bickmore] on [The Project] once a week until Carrie returns from her overseas family adventure!
"I am so excited. See you soon on @theprojecttv," she wrote.
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