Veteran Channel Seven presenter Matt Doran made a welcome return to screens on Saturday.
The 41-year-old reunited with co-host Monique Wright for Weekend Sunrise after being away from the desk for the past four weeks.
Earlier this month, Seven announced the popular journalist would be taking time off for personal reasons.
On Saturday’s episode of the top-rated breakfast show, Doran appeared to be in good form, happily bantering with his regular co-host.
The pair covered stories about the US election and the upcoming royal tour of Australia.
Veteran Channel Seven presenter Matt Doran made a welcome return to screens on Saturday. The 41-year-old reunited with co-host Monique Wright for Weekend Sunrise after being away from the desk for the past four weeks. (In the photo)
In May, Doran sparked concern among viewers after he “failed to show up” for an episode of Weekend Sunrise.
His disappearance left producers scrambling to find a replacement presenter, The Daily Telegraph reported at the time.
He was replaced by reporter Chris Reason, who returned to present the breakfast show alongside Monique Wright on 8 June.
In May, Doran sparked concern among viewers after he “failed to show up” for an episode of Weekend Sunrise.
A Channel Seven spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia later explained that Doran was being let go.
Doran’s disappearance this month comes a year after he sparked a frantic police search after disappearing during a work assignment in the Hunter Valley in June last year.
The star reporter had been sent to cover a wedding bus accident that claimed the lives of 10 people, but failed to show up for his 5:30 a.m. shift on June 13.
Doran’s disappearance this month comes a year after he sparked a frantic police search after disappearing during a work assignment in the Hunter Valley in June last year.
Insiders said that when producers went to pick up Doran at his Singleton hotel, they knocked on his door with no response.
The prominent crime reporter had last been seen speaking to members of the Singleton community at a local football field.
Earlier, locals had seen Doran leaving the home of newlywed couple Mitchell Gaffney and Maddy Edsell, whose wedding was at the center of the tragedy.
Doran took several weeks of personal leave after going missing in the Hunter Valley and was reportedly spending time at home “prioritizing his health.” (Pictured with his wife Kendall Bora)
When the reporter didn’t return calls, texts and emails before his scheduled appearance on Sunrise, a producer went to check his hotel room.
Concerned colleagues contacted police, who issued a missing person alert.
Doran was eventually found in a nearby cafe and was quickly replaced by his on-air colleague Liam Tapper.
Insiders say several factors could have contributed to his troubling behavior, with one suggesting Doran may have struggled with the confrontational nature of the wedding bus accident tragedy.
Doran took several weeks of personal leave after going missing in the Hunter Valley and was reportedly spending time at home “prioritizing his health.”
He was replaced by his colleague Michael Usher at Weekend Sunrise.
Doran, who began his career as a crime reporter at the Herald Sun, joined Seven in 2017 after spending almost eight years in the Network Ten newsroom.
Two years later, he was promoted to his current position as co-host of Weekend Sunrise, alongside Monique Wright, after intermittently replacing weekday host David Koch.
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