Kate Ritchie has announced she will return to acting after her radio partnership with comedians Merrick and Rosso dissolved today.
Her agent Chris O'Mara told ninemsn today that Ritchie is currently reading scripts for three programs and will make a decision as to which one she will take.
"She's missing acting," he said, adding that combining an acting career with breakfast radio is not an option for the Gold Logie winner because "you can’t do both, not with those 4am starts".
Ritchie moved to radio after 20 years in television but told news.com.au that the appeal of her previous career was too great.
"Losing the Gold Logie was heart wrenching … the main reason for this decision is to get that sucker back," she was quoted as saying.
Nova 969 general manager David Borean told ninemsn that he knew Ritchie "wanted a new challenge" when she joined the show.
"She was ready for a change from TV and wanted to add a new dimension to her already stellar career," he said.
"The Nova family looks forward to watching her on the small screen next year and she will be an ongoing friend of DMG Radio Australia."
Merrick Watts will be the only member of the trio returning to station next year after Tim Ross has quit to puruse "other projects".
Merrick and Rosso’s management told ninemsn today that the duo would continue to work together on other projects not connected with Nova.
They leave their show at a time when high performing FM radio hosts are rewarded with soaring salaries.
Hamish Blake and Andy Lee were listed for the first time at number 49 of the BRW Entertainers rich list with joint earnings of $1.9 million.
Kyle Sandilands and his co-host Jackie O were number 33 with earnings of $2.8 million.
The split of the Nova breakfast team has also come at time the trio made gains in their breakfast timeslot while Kyle and Jackie O also increased audience numbers for their 2DayFM Sydney breakfast radio show.
Ross has reportedly been considering leaving the show to pursue other interests for some time.
He and Watts first performed together in 1996, experiencing success in stand-up comedy before landing a radio gig on Triple J two years later.
They have been presenting the breakfast show on Nova since the station launched in 2001.
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