Mark Beretta has announced his departure from Sunrise after 30 years at Channel Seven.
The Channel Seven star, 59, appeared emotional as he revealed the news during the program on Thursday morning.
‘After 30 years working with the Seven Network and after a lot of long nights and thinking about it, the time is right for me to step away from Sunrise,’ he said.
‘Working in this job and in sport has been my dream; it has given me the most extraordinary experiences and memories I could ever have wished for.
‘I will treasure all the many good times and many friendships. I’m so proud to have been a part of Sunrise, and it is incredibly hard to leave behind my Sunrise family and the show we have all put so much energy into for the last 22 years.
‘If you had told me in February 1995, when I walked through the doors of Seven Melbourne for my first day, that 30 years later I would still be doing the job I love, I wouldn’t have believed you, but I would have punched the air.’
Mark Beretta (pictured) has announced his departure from Sunrise after 30 years at Channel Seven
‘It has been an honour, and I have loved every day, every experience working with the amazing group of people,’ he continued.
The veteran journalist explained he is stepping away from his role to spend more time with his family.
‘Losing dad to cancer two months ago, and mum now fighting against the disease, has made me see the world a little differently,’ he said.
‘Family time has become even more important. And I want to do more to help the great work of Tour de Cure in finding treatments and cures for cancer.’
Beretta said he still has many projects planned for the future.
‘It is a real privilege to have been welcomed into the start of your day and to have connected with so many wonderful people,’ he continued.
‘My passion for sport and sportspeople and telling their stories is never going to fade, so I won’t be far away. There are some big events on the horizon, and I’m absolutely thrilled to be part of it.
‘Best of all, I look forward to catching up with a lot of people and seeing more of this great country. Thank you so much for having me on Sunrise, I have loved it.’
The veteran journalist explained he is stepping away from work to focus on spending time with his family, particularly with his mother, Joan, who is battling cancer
After giving his farewell, co-hosts Matt ‘Shirvo’ Shirvington, Natalie Barr and Edwina Bartholomew joined him on the Sunrise set to share the emotional moment.
‘Wow, Berrets… For the last couple of years, I feel privileged to have worked with you full-time. I know it’s very emotional for you,’ Shirvo said as he embraced Beretta.
‘I’ve also got to say too, as one of those athletes who worked with you right at the very beginning, coming in as a guest, thank you so much.’
Shirvo went on to say he ‘will never forget’ the moment Beretta once introduced him ‘for the first time as a household name’ on television.
‘You’re always part of the family here,’ he added.
Barr then slipped in to hug Beretta. ‘It’s been amazing, what a ride,’ she said, teasing that the sports presenter was ‘going to cry’.
‘You know what? No one really leaves. You’re going to be back with us. You’re going to be doing things with Seven. We’re never going to get rid of you,’ she added.
Bartholomew was next, reminding Beretta he was the ‘very first person’ to take her ‘under his wing’ when she was only 21 years old.
After giving his farewell, co-hosts Matt ‘Shirvo’ Shirvington, Natalie Barr and Edwina Bartholomew entered the breakfast stage to share the emotional moment with Beretta
‘The fact you’ve never drunk a cup of coffee in 22 years and yet you’re always so up and bright and early,’ she joked.
‘You’re the real-life Lego man, where everything is amazing.’
Beretta kick-started his journalism career in 1988 when he initially joined Radio 3GL in Geelong, before moving on to Triple M Melbourne as a sports reporter, where he worked alongside Eddie McGuire.
He moved into TV in 1994 when he joined Channel Ten to commentate its National Basketball League coverage, impressing Seven Melbourne executives so much that the network poached him to work as a sports reporter.
By 2008, he was presenting the Seven Early News sport alongside Barr, which eventually transformed into the current hit breakfast show Sunrise.
During his decades on breakfast TV, Beretta has covered 13 Olympic Games for Seven Network, hosting prime-time coverage of the Sydney 2000 Games and Cathy Freeman’s iconic 400m Gold.
He also commentated Australia’s first Olympic Freestyle Aerials Gold in 2002.
His work spans the AFL, Australian Open Tennis, Supercars, Commonwealth Games, surf lifesaving, water skiing and many other major sporting events.
Beretta is pictured alongside (L to R) Melissa Doyle, celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott, Barr and David Koch during the early years of his career at Sunrise
Beretta has also been part of ground-breaking broadcasts, including a world-first five-country, five-day broadcast for Sunrise, and ran with the Olympic flame in Sydney 2000 and Beijing 2008.
Beretta’s final stint on Sunrise will be December 12.
The announcement came just months after Beretta said he wouldn’t change a second of his time on Sunrise, despite the decades of early morning starts.
‘I haven’t worked a day in my life,’ he told New Idea in March.
Beretta, who has covered a raft of major sporting moments for Seven, added that he never dreamt his career would last as long as it has.
‘The younger me would think I was telling porkie pies if I said I’d get to cover sports on TV for 30 years,’ he said.
Outside of his long-standing presenting gig, Beretta also recently stepped into another role: Grandfather.
His daughter Ava, 21, and her partner welcomed their first child, Arlo, 18 months ago.
‘Being a grandad is just the best. The love you feel is something else. I do like to think I’m the coolest grandad ever,’ he told the publication.
Beretta shares daughter Ava with ex-wife of 22 years, Rachael, as well as son Ben, 18.
The couple, who married in 2001, confirmed they quietly parted ways via a statement in October 2023.