Weekend Today's Belinda Russell shares emotional message for co-host Roz Kelly after she lost coveted role to Danika Mason in reshuffle at Nine
Weekend Today's Belinda Russell has shared a heartfelt tribute to her longtime colleague and co-host Roz Kelly following her abrupt departure from the Nine Network.
Taking to Instagram on Saturday, the breakfast TV presenter posted two photos marking their final bulletin together.
In one image the pair are seen pulling silly faces on set with newsreader Mark Burrows, and a second close-up selfie of the smiling duo behind the news desk.
'Last news bulletin together (hopefully not forever). Miss you already,' Russell captioned the post alongside a broken chain emoji and red love heart.
Roz's farewell comes just weeks after the popular presenter resigned from her role at Nine, ending a significant chapter with the network.
From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop.
Her exit follows a major reshuffle behind the scenes, after Kelly was overlooked for the high-profile Today show sports presenter gig - a role that ultimately went to rising star Danika Mason.
The decision came after former sports anchor Alex Cullen was sensationally axed in January after it emerged he accepted a $50,000 payment from controversial businessman Adrian 'Lambo Guy' Portelli.
While many assumed Kelly was a frontrunner for the role, it's understood she was edged out after Mason received a glowing recommendation from none other than Peter V'landys, the influential ARL Commission boss.
Mason's involvement in Nine's NRL coverage during their glitzy Las Vegas broadcast in March gave her an opportunity to rub shoulders with major league and media executives - and her efforts seemingly paid off.
The move marks a major coup for Mason, who is currently in a relationship with former Bulldogs player Liam Knight, and is seen as one of Nine's rising talents in the sporting space.
Meanwhile, sources claim Kelly has not yet secured a new role following her departure, sparking speculation about what's next for the seasoned sports journalist.
Roz, who is married to South African cricketer Morne Morkel and shares two children with the sportsman, lived in Cape Town for five years, but moved back to Sydney following her husband's retirement from the sport.
Today host Karl Stefanovic announced live on-air that Cullen had left the network following the incident with Portelli.
'As most of you are well aware, our colleague Alex Cullen has not been on air with us this past week,' a solemn Stefanovic told viewers at the time.
'There has been widespread reporting on the circumstances surrounding this - what I can say is that last night, Alex and Nine agreed that he would finish with the network.
'Alex has, of course, been part of the Today family for five years now, he's always ready with a smile and a laugh, and without hesitation speaking for all of us here, we can say that we are going to miss him terribly, that's for sure.'
'Alex is a terrific fella, what you see is what you get and he has been a great mate to all of us over these years and we wish Alex, his wife Bonnie and his beautiful kids all the very best for the future,' Stefanovic continued.
A Nine spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: 'Nine has agreed with Today presenter and journalist Alex Cullen that he will finish with the network following a review into a recent incident.'
The scandal kicked off when Portelli, 35, had grown tired of his long-used nickname 'Mr Lambo' and offered the cash reward to the first person to use his new moniker 'McLaren Man' on air, with Cullen obliging on the Today show just over a week after.
The Block entrepreneur then posted what appeared to be a bank transfer of $50,000 to the presenter on Instagram.
Accepting cash, gifts or benefits to undermine journalistic independence, and improperly using a journalistic position for personal gain, are both breaches of the journalism code of ethics as defined by the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance union.
The ill-advised stunt led to Cullen being suspended by Nine and he did not appear on the show while the network investigated the payment. The sum has been donated to charity by Portelli.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
THE MOUSE WHO ROARED! McLauchlan shone from Tarbolton to Dunedin... and back again
There was an added sense of poignancy that news of Ian 'Mighty Mouse' McLauchlan's sad passing should arrive just as the latest batch of British and Irish Lions were jetting off on this summer's adventure to Australia. McLauchlan, who died on Friday aged 83, was considered one of the toughest and feistiest players to ever pull on a Scotland jersey, something he did 43 times between 1969 and 1979. It was his performances for the Lions, however, that elevated the Ayrshire-born prop's reputation and brought him to wider recognition, something he did with distinction over two tours of duty. The first came in 1971 when a group that included Welsh great JPR Williams and Irish icon Willie John McBride won two games out of four and drew the final one to secure what remains the Lions' only series victory in New Zealand. McLauchlan played a pivotal role in the first Test in Dunedin, charging down an attempted All Blacks clearance to score the only try of the game. Perhaps surprisingly for a player who scored frequently in the club game, it also turned out to be the only Test try of his career. McLauchlan was back in the fold three years later when the touring party, now captained by McBride, won 21 of the 22 matches they played in South Africa and drew the last one to earn the nickname 'The Invincibles'. It was a physically bruising, often violent tour but the Lions proved too strong for their Springbok hosts as they clinched the Test series by three matches to one. McLauchlan was again pivotal, playing in every Test match just as he had done in New Zealand, making him one of just five players to be ever-present across the two victorious series. International rugby had come late to the man from the Ayrshire village of Tarbolton, not a renowned stronghold for the sport. When he made his Scotland debut a month short of his 27th birthday in an 8-3 Five Nations loss to England at Twickenham in March 1969, he became the first former pupil of Ayr Academy and ex-Jordanhill College student to be capped for his country. 'Much of that day is a haze but I remember sitting in the changing room at 2.50pm,' he wrote in his autobiography, Mighty Mouse. ''Open the doors', I thought. 'Let me get out there and at them'. I had waited all my life for that moment.' McLauchlan wasn't big for a loosehead at under 15 stone and just 5ft8 tall but what he lacked in physical stature he made up for with tenacity and determination, in the scrum especially where he would regularly give his tighthead opponent a difficult afternoon. His club performances for Jordanhill and West of Scotland brought him belatedly to the attention of the Scotland selectors — six years after his first trial — starting a decade-long period of international recognition where he'd go on to establish himself in the team before becoming captain in 1973. He would lead his country 19 times, an achievement that stood as a record until it was later surpassed by David Sole. On one of those occasions, another Calcutta Cup clash with the Auld Enemy, he captained the team despite having broken a bone in his leg against Ireland just a fortnight earlier. Although he came from a corner of the country where football, racing pigeons and whippets were the favoured pastimes, McLauchlan would become a rugby obsessive. 'I was hooked straight away,' he admitted. 'I loved the physicality, the brutality and the camaraderie of it. Before long, the game had become the be-all and end-all of my life. 'I never wanted to give up. I played every minute I could play. I used to go down to Wales mid-week and play. I'd go to Ireland at the weekends and play on the Sunday. At that time Scottish Rugby had a ban on Sunday rugby but it didn't seem to matter too much in Ireland. It was quite good. You'd play in Glasgow and get the six o'clock plane to Dublin and come back on the Sunday night.' The 1970s were not a hugely memorable period for Scottish rugby overall, with the unlikely five-way tie in 1973 the only championship Scotland celebrated throughout the decade. The feeling was, though, that it could have been even worse had McLauchlan not done his best to lift the level through both word and deed until his international retirement in 1979, again with another Test match against the All Blacks, this time at Murrayfield. He worked as a PE teacher at Broughton High School in Edinburgh, launched his own marketing firm and even had a brief spell in journalism but rugby remained in the blood, making it little surprise that he would continue to contribute to the sport later in life. He served as president of Scottish Rugby from 2010 to 2012 and remained on the board until 2019. 'I've always been involved in rugby in one way or another,' he said at the time. 'I suppose it kind of appealed to my sense of humour, the thought of being on the board. 'It's like everything else. I just wanted to do something to help rugby. It's a plain, simple fact: if you don't do anything, you don't get much from it — but if you try to do something you get a great deal of self-satisfaction and reward comes from effort.' McLauchlan would fill other rugby roles, too, chairing the British and Irish Lions Trust, becoming a director of European Professional Club Rugby, chair of the Murrayfield Injured Players Foundation and a director of the Hearts & Balls rugby charity. In 2013 he was inducted into Scottish Rugby's Hall of Fame and four years later received an OBE for services to rugby. Later in life he moved from the Corstorphine area of Edinburgh to settle on Islay where his wife Eileen, who died in 2023, hailed from. News of McLauchlan's sad passing prompted tributes from all across the rugby world, including from former team-mate — and another Lions and Scotland legend — Andy Irvine. 'He was some character and some player,' said Irvine. 'He was smaller than most props he came up against but I never saw anyone get the better of him. He was so tough, almost indestructible. What a fantastic career he had for Scotland and the Lions. It's very, very sad.' The sad news broke just as Lions head coach Andy Farrell and his players were boarding the plane to Australia ahead of their Test series against the Wallabies. They paid tribute to one of their own: 'Our thoughts are with the friends and family of former Scotland captain and Lions great Ian McLauchlan.'
Daily Mail
31 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom gearing up for 'heart-to-heart talk' amid 'rough patch'
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom are reportedly set to have serious conversations about the state of their relationship. From her controversial Blue Origin space flight to her absence from their Montecito, California home due to her world tour – things have been a bit rough for the longtime couple lately. Over the 4th of July holiday, Katy is flying from Australia to California to spend time with Orlando and their daughter Daisy, five, a source told The Sun And while rumors may be circulating about the demise of their nearly decade long relationship, the insider added 'no one has decided it's definitely the end of the road for Katy and Orlando.' 'They both love each other, but they have been living different lives for at least a year and in different mindsets. 'But Katy especially doesn't want to just give up,' the source continued. Katy has been in Australia for the entire month of June, with the last performance of her Lifetimes Tour Down Under on June 30 in Adelaide. Her tour has caused the 'biggest disruption' in her home life with the Lord of the Rings star. The source said: 'Katy and Orlando have been disconnected for a while now, and with their work commitments have been living separate lives. 'The plan is for them to reunite over the July 4 break. She has mentioned jetting back from Australia to spend time with Orlando, Daisy, her sister Angela and her kids. 'They have barely been together for a decent amount of time, without distractions, for many, many months. 'It has been "go, go, go" and they thrived when they enjoyed a more settled life, being together in the same place for a length of time. But that has just not happened.' Additionally, Orlando wasn't in favor of Katy's Blue Origin space flight. However, in spite of their disagreements and obstacles, the source insisted it isn't all over for Bloom and Perry. And while rumors may be circulating about the demise of their nearly decade long relationship, a source told The Sun , 'no one has decided it's definitely the end of the road for Katy and Orlando.' Seen here April 23, 2025 'It is quite a lot more complicated than that. They have been apart for their longest amount of time since they have been together. 'But there is still a huge amount of love between them, and there is still hope that they can ride out this rough patch. 'Anyone in long term relationships goes through challenges, and many times when things appear to be done, couples reconnect and make things work. Despite recent tensions, the source remains optimistic: 'The type of people they are, there still remains a lot of hope. Katy has never been happier in her life than with Orlando.' 'If this reunion can revive those times, then they could come through this.' Katy is also set to fly to Venice, Italy for the wedding of Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos. The guest list is thought to have less than 200 people, with suspected guests including A-listers like Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Perry and Bloom and members of the Trump family. The Amazon boss has booked the Scuola Grande della Misericordia, one of the largest and grandest buildings in the historical center of Venice, as part of the multi-day-long extravaganza of celebrations. Up until now, little has been known about what may be dubbed as the wedding of the year - but a source in Italy has exclusively revealed to the Daily Mail all of the intimate details that you need to know. According to the insider, Bezos' $500 million superyacht, Koru, will be moored off the coast of San Georgio Maggiore island, which is home to the famous Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore, a 16th century Benedictine church. They shared that the island is 'off-limits to visitors' from June 24 to June 29, with the mayor believing that the wedding will take place on the yacht. However, The Misericodria, an iconic event space in Venice, has been booked out from June 26 to June 28.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
The Lions head Down Under! Maro Itoje leads his squad to Australia... flying in the world's most luxurious suites
The Lions journey to Australia has finally begun after the players took off from Dublin on Saturday morning. Just hours after Friday night's defeat by Argentina, the squad bedded down in their luxury Qsuites on a Qatar Airways flight to Perth. The squad will stop off in Doha, before continuing their journey to the Southern Hemisphere for their opening tour match against Western Force. After a game of cards at the airport, Maro Itoje led his team on board, suited and booted, promising improvements as he plots to lead the side to victory Down Under. He was followed on board by back-row Henry Pollock who, as the youngest player in the squad, is responsible for carrying BIL the lion teddy throughout the tour. Andy Farrell is likely to rotate his side for the opening match at the Optus Stadium, where 40,000 tickets have already been sold for the curtain raiser. Title-winning players from Leinster and Bath are likely to feature, with the likes of No 10 Finn Russell all due game time. 'We land Sunday night in Perth, I imagine on Monday morning we'll have something getting us up and going again,' said Russell. 'So I think getting a schedule or a routine as soon as you get there is pretty important. 'But the guys who will be looking after that and trying to give us a plan for when we sleep on the flight, they've had it planned out for longer than we think.'
