Belinda Russell lifts the lid on “disappointing” Weekend Today departure
Belinda Russell stunned Weekend Today audiences early in 2023 when she made the unexpected announcement that she would be parting ways with the Nine breakfast programme.
Taking to social media in March, Russell thanked her supporters, shared her hope that she’d “brought some sunshine and joy” to their screens, and expressed her excitement for the opportunity that lay ahead.
A month later, Clint Stanaway and Jayne Azzopardi joined Weekend Today as co-hosts.
And now, Russell has spoken up about her surprise departure, suggesting in an interview with Stellar that the decision for her to leave hadn’t been one she’d seen coming, either.
“It wasn’t the start to 2023 that I was expecting, and that was disappointing,” she confessed. “It’s going to be a bit of a knock to your confidence and self-esteem but you do then think ‘well, what’s next?’
“You’ve got to trust the universe and back yourself.”
But rather than dwell on the negative side of her situation, Russell is determined to focus on the benefits, primarily what it means for herself and her three young daughters - 16-year-old Maddi, 13-year-old Tallulah, and 11-year-old Coco.
“You have setbacks in life, but it’s how you bounce back that matters,” she explained. “[It’s good] for my girls to see that and learn about resilience.”
Russell made note as well of how she hadn’t quite understood “how powerful it can be bringing a bit of hope and joy and brightening someone’s day” until someone approached her at an event and thanked Russell for getting her through Covid.
And it’s those takes that the 44-year-old brings to her ongoing work at Nine, with Russell adding that “TV is so subjective. One person might think something but then a million others might disagree. That’s the way the cookie crumbles and I’m not going to cry about it.
“It is what it is, but what’s next?”
When it comes to the future, Russell is keeping her options - and her eyes - open, explaining to Stellar that if an opportunity arose to host something in the realm of entertainment, “to have fun and explore that zest for life”, then she’d be prepared to give it a go.
And that she isn’t keeping her options limited to just television, either.
“I work at Channel Nine and for Channel Nine, but I don’t think any particular role belongs to me,” she revealed. “You hope your ability means you’re put in roles that you can shine in, but my eyes are wide open.
“If I don’t work in the TV industry any more or I leave Channel Nine, life is still going to be good.”
Images: Instagram