Danika Mason makes brave TV return after engagement heartbreak as she fronts up to the Channel 9 cameras for NRL grand final
Danika Mason was back in front of the cameras on Sunday as the Channel 9 presenter attempted to move on from her engaged love ahead of the NRL grand final.
Mason, 30, saw her engagement to fiancé Todd Liubinskas called off just weeks before their wedding, but despite her personal turmoil she managed to put on a brave face and was in good spirits for the Sunday Footy Show.
The show aired outside Accor Stadium, the venue of the grand final between Penrith Panthers and Brisbane Broncos, and she was spotted without her engagement ring in sad scenes.
Daily Mail Australia understands Mason was asked to return the diamond engagement ring she has worn all season.
Many could have forgiven the 30-year-old for avoiding the cameras due to her heartbreak, but she showed her professionalism during the broadcast on Nine.
Danike Mason returned to Channel 9 on Sunday morning
The 30-year-old put on a brave face for the Sunday Footy Show cameras
Mason appeared on Andrew John’s Immortal Behavior podcast this week and beamed as she analyzed the latest NRL news with Johns ahead of the weekend’s grand final.
She even found time to joke about the possibility of Johns presenting a weather forecast naked.
There was no mention of Mason’s heartbreak on the podcast.
Mason has called off her wedding to the Bondi-based personal trainer just weeks before the October 27 ceremony was due to take place at the Greystone Estate in the NSW Hunter Valley.
“(The third party) insisted that she not discuss the split publicly with the media and asked her to give the ring back,” a source close to the Mason camp said.
In the aftermath of the split, Mason has holed up in their South Maroubra home with the couple’s chocolate Labrador Charlie, while Liubinskas has taken refuge in his parents’ home in Sydney’s west.
Mason has found alternative plans for what she will do on the day of her wedding.
Mason’s engagement to fiancé Todd Liubinskas was called off just weeks before their wedding
Mason plans a special getaway to Bali with Fox Footy presenter Yvonne Sampson the week the wedding was due to take place.
The pair are close friends and previously celebrated O’Keefe’s bachelorette party together in the US in 2018.
The exact reason for Mason and Liubinskas’ split is unclear as the media world is ablaze with conflicting and unconfirmed rumors about what happened.
What is known for sure is that Liubinskas wanted the engagement ring back because it was considered a family heirloom.
The ring itself was a custom piece designed by acclaimed Sydney jeweler Sam Rahme.