Claims Melissa Doyle is ‘poised to ink a big deal’ to join The Sunday Project

Melissa Doyle was ousted from Channel Seven last month, after 25 years of service with the network.

Now a new report claims the 50-year-old journalist could be heading for Channel 10’s The Sunday Project.  

According to New Idea, Melissa ‘is poised to ink a big deal with Network Ten’ to join the cast of the panel news show, where she will work alongside ‘her good friend Lisa Wilkinson’. 

Meanwhile, another report in Woman’s Day also alleged earlier this month that Melissa is being headhunted for The Project.  

Apparently, executive producer Rove McManus is trying to get the show’s budget in order so they can afford to hire the former Sunrise anchor.

‘Lisa [Wilkinson, the host of The Sunday Project] is up for renewal, and the guess is she will take a big pay cut to make way for Mel to step in as a regular on The Project,’ a source told the magazine.   

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Channel Ten for comment. 

In her first interview since her shock departure, Melissa told The Sunday Telegraph’s Stellar magazine this week that the axing wasn’t out of the blue.

‘I wouldn’t say it came as a total shock, I just felt really sad,’ she admitted.   

Melissa also revealed how she allowed herself one day to ‘wallow on the couch’. 

‘I let myself have one day when I wallowed on the couch and had a gin and tonic a little earlier than I should have,’ the mother-of-two said with a laugh.   

During her career, Melissa hosted several of Seven’s flagship programs, including Sunrise, Today Tonight, 7News, Sunday Night and The Latest. 

Her departure is believed to be the result of the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has hit Seven particularly hard.