Former Channel Nine stalwart Liz Hayes has announced a shock move to a rival television network.
Two months after departing her decades-long career at Nine, the former 60 Minutes star, 68, has jumped ship to Channel Seven current affairs show Spotlight as a guest correspondent.
Spotlight executive producer Gemma Williams said it was a privilege to welcome Liz to the flagship news show.
‘We’re privileged to welcome Liz Hayes to 7NEWS Spotlight as a guest correspondent,’ she said.
‘Widely respected for her decades of experience, storytelling expertise and journalistic integrity, we look forward to collaborating with Liz on this special project.’
Daily Mail Australia’s Inside Mail revealed this week that Liz’s first assignment for Spotlight is a tell-all interview with Lauren Zonfrillo, the wife of late celebrity chef Jock Zonfrillo.
Former Channel Nine stalwart Liz Hayes has announced a shock move to a rival network
Jock, a former MasterChef Australia judge, was found dead in his Melbourne hotel room in 2023.
It was also revealed that the respected journalist is currently ‘midway’ through shooting the story with Lauren, which is expected to air the night after the election.
In February, Inside Mail revealed that Liz had previously conducted an unaired interview with Jock and Lauren five years ago while at 60 Minutes.
Former Nine boss Hugh Marks had shelved the story as Jock was on MasterChef at the time, and the Ten cooking contest was in a fierce battle for eyeballs against 60 Minutes.
Liz announced her departure from Nine last month after her four decades-long career at the network made her a household name.
‘When I arrived at Nine I had little more than a notebook and a typewriter, but like my new and far more experienced colleagues, I carried with me an enormous passion for telling stories,’ she said in a statement.
‘I was blessed. I had found my tribe. Even Nine’s owner at the time, Kerry Packer, seemed to carry the same passionate storytelling gene.
‘Of course since then much has changed. The media world has evolved as have I. What hasn’t changed is the need for good stories to be told, and I will continue to tell them.
Two months after leaving her decades-long career at Nine, the former 60 Minutes star, 68, has jumped ship to Channel Seven current affairs show Spotlight as a guest correspondent
Daily Mail Australia revealed this week that Liz’s first assignment for Spotlight is a tell-all interview with Lauren Zonfrillo, the wife of late celebrity chef Jock Zonfrillo
Jock, a former MasterChef Australia judge, was found dead in his Melbourne hotel room in 2023
‘I leave Nine grateful for the decades of experience, the wonderful friendships that I have endured and deeply appreciative to the many people who trusted me to tell their stories.’
Renowned as one of the better interviewers on Australian television, she has questioned prime ministers and politicians, influential business people, Hollywood actors, music legends, and world-class athletes.
In a video posted on her Instagram, Liz revealed she had been weighing up the move for some time.
‘I made the decision last year because I felt it was time to move to the beat of a different drum – my own,’ she said.
‘I have had the most extraordinary life, telling wonderful stories, working with brilliant people and an audience that, thank you, you have hung in there with me.
‘And I’m hoping you’ll still hang around – because I’m not going anywhere.
‘I’m still passionate about telling stories and I plan to tell many more.
‘So this is not goodbye this is the beginning of what I see as a great, new exciting chapter in my life. See you soon.’
‘Widely respected for her decades of experience, storytelling expertise and journalistic integrity, we look forward to collaborating with Liz on this special project,’ Spotlight executive producer Gemma Williams said in a statement
It was also revealed that the respected journalist is currently ‘midway’ through shooting the story with Lauren, which is expected to air the night after the election. Liz is pictured on the Today show with co-host Steve Liebmann
It is understood Nine’s influential director of television, Michael Healy, was loath to lose Liz and did everything in his power to keep the highly revered, award-winning reporter at the channel.
Although she was offered significant incentives and a sizeable new contract to stay on, Daily Mail Australia understands that she had grown frustrated by the current set-up at 60 Minutes and was unwilling to remain on the program.
‘Liz Hayes is an Australian television legend and has dedicated most of her career to Nine, she will leave an undeniable legacy,’ Michael said at the time.
‘Her many accomplishments speak volumes about the type of journalist she is – tenacious, a truth seeker, and above all, a storyteller.
‘I’d like to recognise Liz for the impact she has had on Australian journalism and thank her for all she has done for Nine over the past 44 years.’
