Channel Seven filmed an expensive photo shoot with sacked Queensland news presenter Sharyn Ghidella just weeks before she was axed from the network.
Ghidellla, 58, took part in a lavish photoshoot with her former co-presenter Max Futcher, in which they promoted Seven’s 6pm Brisbane news bulletin.
However, shortly after participating in the shoot, Ghidella received a phone call informing her that the network would be terminating her employment with them after 17 years.
The firing is said to have come as a surprise to Ghidella, who believed her job was secure since the network was paying for an expensive photo shoot with her and Futcher, the outlet reports. The Australian.
On the day Ghidella was fired, she was scheduled to take part in another shoot to promote Brisbane’s upcoming EKKA show, but her participation in the production was abruptly cancelled.
Ghidella made her feelings known to staff shortly after being fired, sending out a scathing internal memo that read: ‘You may have already figured this out… But I think that promo we just shot could use some tweaking.’
Last week, the veteran anchor was fired from the network after nearly four decades working in the news industry.
Ghidella, the face of Seven News in Queensland since 2007, confirmed the news in an impassioned Facebook post on Friday.
Channel Seven (pictured) filmed an expensive photoshoot with sacked Queensland news presenter Sharyn Ghidella just weeks before she was axed from the network.
She said her “tap on the shoulder” finally came while she was in the salon, admitting it was something of a “relief” after several anxious weeks over media job cuts.
But she was determined not to go quietly and criticised the ailing network for prioritising gimmicks like astrological readings over retaining veteran talent.
“When you work in television as long as I have, not a day goes by that you don’t expect a tap on the shoulder… After 38 years, I finally got a tap on the shoulder,” Ghidella began.
Ghidellla, 58, recently took part in a lavish photoshoot with her former co-presenter Max Futcher (left), in which they promoted Seven’s 6pm Brisbane news bulletin.
“It wasn’t exactly how I expected to end up at Channel Seven. I was sitting in the hairdressers for work when I got a call telling me that after 17 years at the network, my time was up.”
Ghidella later said her recent time at the network had been “miserable” and that she was glad to be walking out the door.
“While I am a little saddened by this decision, I also feel a certain relief. As has been widely reported, the past two weeks on television have sadly been a miserable affair,” he wrote.
However, shortly after taking part in the shoot, Ghidella received a phone call informing her that the network was ending its working relationship with them after 17 years.
Ghidella added that he did not like the rebranding of the network’s news programming, which will see comedian Mark Humphries doing a comedy sketch and ‘Astro Tash’ starting an astrology report.
Anthony De Ceglie, the controversial newcomer from Seven’s Western Australian newspaper business who now heads its television news division, said in a statement: “Sharyn has made a significant contribution to Seven over the past 17 years.”
“We are grateful for her hard work and are sorry to see her go. She leaves with the sincerest thanks from everyone at Seven and our best wishes for the future.”