ABC star Michael Rowland has quit the network after 39 years with the national broadcaster to care for his sick wife.
‘After almost four decades in the grinding environment of daily news and current affairs, and having watched luck run out for so many people, I’ve decided now is a good time to step away,’ he told ABC News Breakfast on Monday.
‘My wife, Nikki, who you all know, has been unwell over the last year or so, and I’m wanting to spend more time with her and family and move at a gentler pace.’
Mr Rowland joined the ABC as an 18-year-old cadet journalist in January 1987.
The veteran presenter, who will finish up at the ABC on Friday, described his time at the national broadcaster as a ‘great ride’.
‘It’s just the right time for my family and friends to step back from full-time work and move on to the next stage of life,’ he said.
‘It’s bittersweet. I know this is the right decision for me, my family and my life going forward. But I’ll miss the viewers. I still get a wonderful reception when I travel around Australia.’
Mr Rowland fondly reflected on his time working in the Canberra press gallery in the 1990s, as a correspondent in Washington in the early 2000s and the 15 years he spent hosting ABC News Breakfast program.
Michael Rowland has announced he will be quitting the ABC to care for his sick wife
