60 Minutes star Liz Hayes reveals how she’s been targeted by the same deranged stalker for decades: ‘He’s still pursuing me’

Veteran TV journalist Liz Hayes has revealed she continues to be stalked by a man who began contacting her while she was a host of the Today show between 1986 and 1996.

She said her experience played a role in her decision to join 60 Minutes as a correspondent, a position she has held since 1996.

Appearing in an interview with fellow journalist Tara Brown on Sunday evening, Hayes, 67, said she was “still” stalked by the man.

During Sunday night’s episode, Brown asks him, “Let’s talk about that for a second.” How long did he stalk you? To which Hayes responds: “Always.”

“What they’re doing is robbing you of your sense of security,” Hayes said.

“That’s how it is, and it steals the life I hate to have taken.”

Hayes said she wanted to move from a daily breakfast show to a weekly program in order to “stop being so visible”.

Speaking about the decision, she said: “Now I have someone chasing me.”

“It may sound wrong, but I decided it was time for me to stop being on TV every day,” she added.

The Sydney journalist also wrote about the experience in his upcoming memoir My name is Liz Hayes.

She said being harassed led to security guards attending shows outside and even at her home.

Haye revealed that her stalker convinced her to do weekly television to be less visible.

The stalker also visited her parents and Hayes even received a call from a private investigator who had been employed by the stalker to find her.

“The joy disappeared from my life and it took years before I regained the confidence to move around safely,” Hayes wrote.

“I try not to think about it anymore so I can move on with my life, but the truth is, it’s still not the same.”

Hayes first joined Channel 9 as a newsreader in 1981 as a reporter.

She also hosts Channel 9’s current affairs show, Under Investigation.

British comedian Russell Brand kisses Hayes while she was a 60 Minutes reporter