Seven star Matt Doran has spoken about his struggles with depression live on The Morning Show after raising concerns about his mental health in recent years.
The 41-year-old breakfast show host revealed his struggles on Friday when he and co-host Kylie Gillies interviewed psychologist and author Mark Cross.
As the guest promoted his latest book, Mental State, about Australia’s mental health system, Matt bravely spoke about his own struggles with depression.
‘Do you think, doctor, that we’re getting better at raising our hand like you did and saying, “I have an anxiety problem”?’ Matt asked Dr. Cross.
‘I’ve also had huge problems with depression over the last few years, but I think people are still afraid to say it openly.’
“It’s amazing you say that… the more we talk about it, the better it is,” Dr. Cross said, praising Matt for speaking so openly about his depression on television.
Matt has caused concern in recent years after mysteriously disappearing from work on two separate occasions.
In June, she was unable to make it to Seven studios to work on Weekend Sunrise, leaving producers scrambling to find a replacement presenter, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Seven star Matt Doran, 41 (pictured), spoke about his struggles with depression live on The Morning Show after raising concerns about his mental health in recent years.
He was replaced by news reporter Chris Reason, who returned to present the breakfast show alongside Monique Wright on Saturday 8 June.
A Channel Seven spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia at the time that Matt was “on leave”.
Matt’s disappearance comes a year after he sparked a frantic police search when he vanished during a work assignment in the Hunter Valley in June last year.
The star reporter had been sent to cover a bus crash at a wedding that claimed the lives of 10 people, but failed to show up for his 5:30 a.m. shift on June 13.
Sources close to the incident said that when producers went to pick up Matt at his hotel in Singleton, knocks on his door went unanswered.
The breakfast show host revealed his struggles on Friday when he and co-host Kylie Gillies interviewed psychologist and author Mark Cross.
The prominent police reporter had last been seen speaking to members of the Singleton community at a local football ground.
Earlier, neighbors had seen Matt leaving the home of newlywed couple Mitchell Gaffney and Maddy Edsell, whose wedding was at the center of the tragedy.
When the journalist did not respond to calls, texts or emails before his scheduled appearance on Sunrise, a producer went to check on his hotel room.
Concerned colleagues contacted police, who issued a missing person alert.
Eventually, Matt was found in a nearby cafe and quickly replaced on-air by his colleague Liam Tapper.
The development comes after Matt sparked a frantic police search last year when he disappeared during a work assignment in the Hunter Valley. The star reporter had been sent to cover a bus crash at a wedding that claimed the lives of 10 people, but failed to turn up for his 5.30am shift on June 13, 2023.
Experts say several factors could have contributed to his troubling behavior, with one suggesting Matt may have struggled to cope with the confrontational nature of the wedding bus crash tragedy.
Matt took several weeks of personal leave after going missing in the Hunter Valley and was reportedly spending time at home “prioritising his health”.
He was replaced by fellow singer Michael Usher on Weekend Sunrise.
Matt, 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 filling in for weekday presenter David Koch.
