Why Matt Doran STILL isn’t back on TV after a frantic police search for the Seven star when he disappeared while covering the Hunter Valley wedding bus tragedy
Matt Doran has taken a personal leave of absence after sparking a frantic police search Tuesday morning when he failed to show up for work.
According to The Daily TelegraphDoran, 40, is “prioritizing his health at home” after he disappeared while on assignment in the Hunter Valley.
Doran has also been replaced by journalist Michael Usher on Weekend Sunrise.
The high-profile Sydney journalist was reported missing on Tuesday after failing to show up for his 5.30am shift to provide live coverage of the Hunter Valley bus crash from the area.
After a desperate police search, including at his hotel in Singleton, officers found the star reporter in a local cafe a short time later.
Seven reporter Matt Doran, 40, ‘prioritizes his health at home’ after sparking a frantic police search when he disappeared while covering the Hunter Valley wedding bus tragedy
The high-profile crime reporter, who has a history of personal trouble, was last seen at a local soccer field on Monday afternoon speaking to members of the Singleton community.
Earlier, locals had seen Doran drive away from the home of newly married couple Mitchell Gaffney and Maddy Edsell, whose marriage was at the center of the tragedy.
An eyewitness recalls the surprising way he spoke to members of the Singleton Roosters football team, for whom several wedding guests played.
“He seemed distracted when he was interviewing,” the source told Daily Mail Australia.
“He didn’t want to be there.”
Doran’s behavior did not go unnoticed by viewers, with his Monday morning coverage – the day after the fatal crash – generating a number of critical tweets.
When the star reporter failed to return calls, texts and emails ahead of his scheduled appearance on Tuesday’s Sunrise, a producer went to see him at his hotel in Singleton, but there was no knock on his door.
Doran has also been replaced by journalist Michael Usher on Weekend Sunrise
Concerned colleagues contacted the police, who sent out a missing persons alert across the region.
Doran was eventually found in a nearby cafe and quickly replaced by his colleague Liam Tapper on the air.
Seven has yet to make a statement about Doran’s well-being; however, insiders say several factors may have contributed to his troubling behavior.
One suggested that perhaps Doran was struggling with the confrontational nature of the tragedy of the wedding bus crash.
Doran and his wife, Today show producer Kendall Bora, were reported to have spent the long weekend at their $1.75 million vacation home in Berowra Waters, north of Sydney. one of the first reporters to arrive early Monday morning.
Matt Doran caused panic after he disappeared from Singleton, in Hunter Valley, NSW, on Tuesday. He is pictured with his wife Kendall Bora
His live cross to the Channel Seven studios was about 1 km from the crash site where 10 wedding guests died.
“One wonders if a job like that might be too much for someone prone to emotional stress,” a Seven insider told the Daily Mail Australia.
“It would traumatize anyone, but especially someone who is particularly sensitive or struggling.”
On top of that, Doran was – until recently – touted as a possible replacement for retired Sunrise presenter David Koch. The role instead went to Matt Shirvington.
Doran was assigned to cover the bus crash the same day Shirvington made his debut as a Sunrise anchor alongside Natalie Barr.
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Reporter Liam Tapper replaced Doran on Sunrise on Tuesday morning (seen in Cessnock)
