Melissa Doyle reveals why she would NEVER return to breakfast television as she opens up about devastating milestone: ‘I’ve done my years of heartbreak’

Melissa Doyle has opened up about her incredible 34-year media career and revealed the sad reason why she would never return to breakfast television.

The former Sunrise co-host, 54, was at the forefront of many of Australia’s biggest stories during her time on the morning show.

This included coverage of horrific disasters such as the Black Saturday bushfires, the Queensland floods and the Beaconsfield mine collapse.

She also reported on international news coverage, such as the 2004 Boxing Day earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean.

In an exclusive interview with Ny Breaking Australia, Melissa reflected on the intensity of her previous TV roles and the joy of slowing down more demanding jobs as she prepares for her new hosting gig House of Wellness on Seven in 2025.

“I think I’m through my years of heartbreak,” she said.

The former Sunrise co-host, 54, was at the forefront of many of Australia’s biggest stories during her time on the morning show. Pictured with co-host David ‘Kochie’ Koch

‘[I can’t wait to] I do very different subjects that don’t require me to intervene [disaster] zones.’

Melissa is a Goodwill Ambassador for World Vision, and this week the organization is preparing to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

The disaster, which occurred on December 26, 2004, resulted in the deaths of approximately 230,000 people and is considered the worst natural disaster in human history.

Melissa talked about the severity of the natural disaster that occurred 20 years ago and delved into how serious the impact was as more than 1.7 million people were displaced.

The earthquake was caused by a massive 9.1 magnitude earthquake that occurred at 7:58 a.m. on December 26, 150 miles outside Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

“I remember going straight back to work and how big of an impact it had,” she told Ny Breaking Australia.

‘It’s like a lot of natural disasters we’ve seen where the very first immediate response happened, and then as the hours go by you realize how big this is, the scale of it just seemed to get bigger.

‘It went from Indonesia to Sri Lanka. There were so many more countries that were affected.’

Melissa is a Goodwill Ambassador for World Vision and this week the organization is preparing to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

The disaster, which occurred on December 26, 2004, resulted in the deaths of approximately 230,000 people and is considered the worst natural disaster in human history.

Melissa talked about the severity of the natural disaster that occurred 20 years ago and delved into how serious the impact was as more than 1.7 million people were displaced. She returned to one of the disaster areas ten years later (photo)

“I think the sheer magnitude of it is always shocking. I hope to God that there has never been one natural disaster that any of us have witnessed and been deeply affected by. It’s just that little moment when you realize how quickly things can change.”

Melissa further highlighted World Vision’s rapid response and the importance of community support, while Australia’s generosity was evident with more than $100 million raised for disaster relief in five countries.

“Every natural disaster I have ever described, or any disaster for that matter, has always left a huge scar on me. But I think that’s part of being a journalist, that’s part of telling these stories,” she continued.

“I’m also completely blown away in those moments by how quickly we respond and how generous the community is to say, ‘Okay, what do you want us to do? support?” We always do that so quickly.’

The Channel Seven presenter discussed her more than 25-year involvement with the organisation, which began by sponsoring a child after her marriage to John Dunlop in 1995.

“Not long after we got married, we started sponsoring a child, and then we sponsored children,” she said, adding that she still sponsors children to this day.

Amid the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and tsunami, Melissa co-hosted the cross-network telethon, raising funds in support of World Vision’s disaster response initiative.

World Vision Australia worked with broadcast networks to bring to life the largest televised appeal the country had ever seen, raising much-needed funds and providing food, water and shelter to more than a million people in the first 90 days.

Melissa reflected on the intensity of her previous TV roles and the joy of slowing down from more demanding jobs as she prepares for her new hosting gig House of Wellness on Seven in 2025.

At the end of the World Vision Tsunami Telethon, $15,198,329.20 in donations had been raised.

Doyle played a pivotal role in this historic event, saying, “Presenting the telethon was like nothing I had experienced before. Seeing everyone unite for such an incredible cause was truly moving.

‘When I visited Banda Aceh in 2014 for the tenth anniversary, it was incredible to see the huge difference made by each person who donated. I hope everyone is proud of the role they have played in rebuilding the affected communities.”

Melissa left her role as co-host of Sunrise in 2013 and will host new health and lifestyle program House of Wellness on Friday evenings on Channel Seven next year.