Departing ABC presenter Michael Rowland has clarified questions over his wife’s health, just hours after he announced he was quitting the network after 39 years.
On Monday, Rowland announced he’d be finishing up at the national broadcaster this week to spend more time with his wife Nicola ‘who has been unwell over the last year or so’.
In an Instagram post on Monday afternoon, Rowland shared a recent picture of the couple and clarified he wasn’t leaving his job to care for her.
‘Thanks, by the way, for all the lovely messages to my wife, Nicki. Some of the headlines today have suggested she is at death’s door,’ he said.
‘Yes, Nicki has been unwell over the last year or so but is well and truly bouncing back. Proof of life from a wedding in Warrnambool on Saturday!’
Rowland joined the ABC as an 18-year-old cadet journalist in January 1987.
The veteran presenter, who will finish up at the ABC on Friday, described his time at the national broadcaster as a ‘great ride’.
‘It’s just the right time for my family and friends to step back from full-time work and move on to the next stage of life,’ he said.
Michael Rowland has clarified questions over his wife Nicola’s ill health after announcing he was quitting the ABC
Rowland, whose worked at the ABC since 1987, will finish up at the broadcaster on Friday
‘It’s bittersweet. I know this is the right decision for me, my family and my life going forward. But I’ll miss the viewers. I still get a wonderful reception when I travel around Australia.’
