After months of speculation over whether Kochie would stay in the Sunrise hosting chair, he has officially confirmed his future plans.
The 66-year-old presenter, who has been in the Channel Seven’s morning show for 20 years, has confirmed he will remain on Sunrise for at least two more years.
Kochie told The Australian he had signed a contract extension which would keep him on Sunrise until at least 2024, but admitted he had previously raised the prospect of leaving with Seven West chief executive James Warburton.
“After 20 years, I’ve felt I needed more flexibility in my life with my wife Libby and my business interests,” he told the publication.
“So when I mentioned leaving to Seven, James very kindly asked me whether we could work together on a plan that I wanted, which also kept my connection to the network and my focus on Sunrise.”
He also hinted to that Seven chairman Kerry Stokes had played a crucial part in the successful negotiation.
“I’m grateful to James and Kerry Stokes that they approached it this way,” he said.
“I’ve had long chats with both of them, and they asked me is there a way to come up with a plan that gives you the flexibility you want, and gives you a connection to the network and a continuing focus on Sunrise. I love it dearly. So I’m really fortunate to have the best of all worlds.”
Earlier this month, Kochie and the rest of the team looked back on his two decades as a presenter for Sunrise, and all the memorable moments from Breaky Central.
Among some of Kochie’s most treasured Sunrise memories was reporting on the Queen’s lying in state at Westminster Hall, climbing Kilimanjaro, meeting Katy Perry and covering the Macquarie Fields riots.
Image credits: Sunrise
This article first appeared on OverSixty.