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Ita Buttrose to leave Studio 10

Exclusive: Veteran broadcaster becomes the latest to depart TEN's morning show (updated).

EXCLUSIVE: Ita Buttrose will depart Studio 10 tomorrow, her final show after four and a half years, in what is understood to be a mutual decision.

Her departure comes a month after Jessica Rowe exited TEN’s morning show.

The esteemed Buttrose is one of the original cast members of the morning show, with a media legacy extending across publishing and television. In August she received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2017 NSW Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism, added to her previous Order of Australia and Australian of the Year accolades.

Her departure also follows recent headlines surrounding a “Brussel Sprout” spat with Denise Drysdale which was followed by the exit of executive producer Rob McKnight. Various reports have hinted at tension between the two veterans, denied by Drysdale earlier this year.

TV Tonight understands Denise Scott will now join the Studio 10 roster, to appear every second week as an alternative to Drysdale.

Legal action in which McKnight is seeking what he claims are unpaid fees is due for a directions hearing next week.

Updated:

“I have had a long involvement with Network TEN, stretching back many years. I’ve had five great years on Studio 10, but it is time for me to move on and focus on other parts of my life, including spending more time with my grandchildren and writing,” Buttrose said in a statement. 

TEN Chief Content Officer, Beverley McGarvey, said: “We are very sad to see Ita leave Studio 10. She has been with the show since day one and has been a wonderful member of the team.” 

“Ita is a true legend of the Australian media and a great colleague. Everyone at Studio 10 and Network Ten, as well as her many fans, will miss her but we fully understand and support her decision to step away from the show. She is, of course, welcome to come home to Studio 10 at any time.”

23 Responses

  1. A big loss to Studio 10, which has definitely lost its mojo this year. Ita Buttrose was such a crucial dynamic. Jessica Rowe offered a strong alternative slant. No regular guest panelists, and very lame fill in hosts. The show seems flat. And why would anyone use that squarking Richard Read for an Anzac segment? Had to turn off. Natarsha Belling is classy and intelligent, she should feature regularly in the wake of Ita and Jessica’s departure.

  2. Wow. What a mess. Really enjoyed Studio 10 over the past couple years but the last few months the vibes been off, and after watching the whole show today it shows even more. Ita even mentioned that she resigned two days before Jess! Then there was an incident with the mail room giving her the bouquet of flowers yesterday!? Plus the oddness of only a 5 min goodbye compared to Jess’s long extravaganza. Denise didn’t say a word to her the whole show except to say “he’s dead” when Ita said Joe’s beard was like George Michaels… geez

  3. I wish Denise Drysdale would leave the show. She isn’t funny at all, and takes too long to get her narrow minded opinions across, in fact she can barely string a sentence together these days.

  4. Sad to see Ita leaving. It was also pretty sad to see Denise Drysdale remain silent during Ita’s farewell announcement. Rumours of bad blood must be true.

  5. Ita is not a young woman anymore (76)…she may just be finding morning TV a bit demanding now….I also have never been a fan of Hildebrands…just me though…..
    It would have been nice if The Australian acknowledged their source…apparently they did not believe you….had to get confirmation from TEN this afternoon…

  6. Joe is a pita, sick of his stupid jokes & him talking over everyone else. The only decent person left in the show if Ita leaves is Ding Dong but Joe will talk over her too!

  7. I suspect this has something to do with the ongoing feud especially since her departure is so sudden. Did she announce it on air? If so I wonder if there was an incident on set this morning. I always thought this feud may lead to one of them departing. Sad to see Ita go she’s my favourite host on the show and contributes a lot to it.

    1. ‘brussel sprout’ gate? That story is so absurd i really find it hard to believe it’s nothing more than some sort of publicity stunt. Both ladies (Ita & Denise) seem far too classy & nice to be involved in such a silly incident.

      1. Denise: “I was in a jovial mood. The Christmas party was that night and I could not go, so I had a couple of glasses of champagne ­towards the end of the day and I threw the brussels sprout and I shouldn’t have.”

        1. You can tell something has been going on. Ita doesn’t look as happy on the show lately and there have been occasions when Denise was used as a roving reporter when Ita is on the panel. Also there is not the spark between the two that was there last year. Denise’s explanation for switching seats was rather odd. Also was Jess Rowe tired of all the tension?

          1. That would have to be the lamest TV stunt in the history of the medium. The brussels sprout was just a brussels sprout.

  8. It’s a shame the very classy and intelligent Ita is leaving. She has been the very much needed stand out breath of fresh air on morning television for the last 5 years. I agree with others here that Joe is the most annoying on the show and wish it was him leaving instead. I for one couldn’t care less about what his opinion is and he always talks over the other panellists. Replacing Ita will be hard. What’s Lisa Wilkinson up to in the mornings these days?

  9. On the rare occasion I watch Studio 10 I’ve always enjoyed Ita’s thoughts on the variety of subject matter. I also agree with HeyJude. Sometimes Joe tends to forget that others have opinions. By the time he pauses for air it’s time for a commercial or infomercial break.

  10. I don’t get to see the show all that often but when I do it looks to me that Ita gets frustrated and angry at times with Joe being so dominate with his views. Maybe on the other hand she is just tired of sitting through all those endless home shopping commercials

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