Ryan Bridge and Melissa Chan-Green. Photo / Instagram
Ryan Bridge and Melissa Chan-Green. Photo / Instagram
Hours after news broke that Ryan Bridge will not be returning to AM next year, Melissa Chan-Green has shared a sweet message to her departing co-host.
Chan-Green, 40, shared two images of the pair on Instagram. The first was the day they filled in together on the show five years ago and the second was from today after he announced his move from AM to a new 7pm show taking over from The Project on Three next year.
Captioning the images, the mother of two expressed how much she will miss Bridge, writing: “We’ve had so many fun adventures and covered many very significant events in between ... so I’ll miss him in the mornings but I’m also happy he’s not leaving the building at least!”
Of her newly announced co-host Lloyd Burr – who began working with Warner Bros Discovery as a Newshub political reporter after the sudden closure of Today FM in March – Chan-Green said she was “looking forward” to welcoming him into the AM family in the new year.
She signed off with a message for fans: “We have one more week on-air before a Christmas break so thank you to all our AM viewers for tuning in.”
Bridge also shared a message on his Instagram story. Reposting a video of his on-air announcement this morning, he wrote, “Sad to be saying goodbye to Melissa Chan-Green and our awesome team.” It comes after he spoke fondly of his friendship with Chan-Green, telling the Herald, “I just absolutely love working with her,” and adding, “She’s been so supportive – she’s an absolute sweetheart. I’m going to miss being with her all the time.”
Bridge and Chan-Green appear to have become close friends in the time they have hosted AM together. They have shared many sweet moments, including her announcement last year that she was expecting her second child.
Sitting with Bridge and her son Busby on the morning show couch, she told viewers she had been keeping a secret from them. Bridge immediately gave the camera a knowing smile.
Ryan Bridge and Melissa Chan-Green were joined by her son Busby on the show to announce her second pregnancy. Photo / Supplied
After the announcement, Bridge said: “All of us here at AM are so happy for you.
“I know how much it means to you, how much it means to Caspar [Chan-Green’s husband], but yes, there was a little moment, wasn’t there, where the secret was maybe nearly let out of the bag.”
They went on to play a clip of the show from October 20 in which Chan-Green said the hosts had some “personal news” to share and revealed that Bridge had been nominated as a finalist for best news and current affairs presenter at the New Zealand TV Awards.
Elsewhere, the pair celebrated Bridge’s birthday last month with Chan-Green seemingly surprising her co-host with a birthday cake. She captioned the post: “He thought we forgot cake. We didn’t forget cake. Happy birthday Ryan”.
Three is understood to pay a hefty international licensing fee for the use of The Project brand. Currie reported the move would give Three a blank canvas to build a less expensive primetime show.
While the format, name and start date are yet to be revealed, Bridge told the Herald: “It’s different from what has come before in that it’s going to be much harder, I think, in its approach. It’s more news-focused and [with an] emphasis on live.
“[That’s] something that I definitely have a preference for. Obviously, you have to do some pre-record stuff, but I just love being live on telly – that’s what I love doing in the morning.”
Lillie Rohan is an Auckland-based reporter covering lifestyle and entertainment stories who joined the Herald in 2020. She specialises in all things relationships and dating, great Taylor Swift ticket wars and TV shows you simply cannot miss out on.
