3 days ago
The Project's Georgie Tunny issues heartbreaking statement after shock cancellation - as fellow celebs rush to her support
The Project's Georgie Tunny has taken to social media to post a tribute to her TV 'family' in the wake of the show's cancellation.
Sharing a photo of herself alongside co-hosts Waleed Aly, Sarah Harris and Sam Taunton on Tuesday, the 34-year-old journalist included a caption expressing her heartbreak.
'Goodbyes are hard, but with this team and this show… this one is going to hit differently,' she began.
'I dreamed of working on a show like The Project when I was growing up.
'That dream became a reality, but it was never a show it was a family. From the start. What a ride. X.'
From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop.
The post attracted a stream of high-profile well wishers, included her Project co-star Sam Taunton who messaged, 'Tunny you're a star! You're gonna be the new face of the nation.'
Abbie Chatfield also responded, messaging, 'You're so fab!
'You were amazing on the Project and will be incredible in whatever you do next.'
'Nothing but love,' wrote Rover McManus, producer of The Project posted on Georgie's story.
It comes after The Project was officially axed this week and will air its final episode on June 27.
Network 10 announced the news on Monday, sharing a post to Facebook thanking viewers for their support before announcing the show's replacement.
Hosts Waleed Aly, Sarah Harris and Hamish Macdonald will also reportedly exit the network, while comedian Sam Taunton will continue his guest appearances on other Ten shows.
Meanwhile, one of the shows former stars, Peter Helliar has revealed the emotional toll the shock axing has had on himself and his former co-workers.
Appearing on Nova's Jase and Lauren on Tuesday, the veteran presenter, who co-hosted the panel show from 2014 - 2022, admitted he was devastated over the cancellation.
'Really sad. What an amazing legacy that show has, 16 years. Very few shows get to the second season. This was like the little engine that could,' he said.
'In its first year, it was going to get axed every second week. And 16 years later to see that the people have become household names who have gone through that show!'
Helliar, who quit the show in 2022, the same year Carrie Bickmore, Tommy Little and Lisa Wilkinson also left, said he believes the axing will leave a huge gap in Australian television.
'I don't think audiences realise what they'll miss out on now. The amount of comedians, musicians and filmmakers who have said to me over the years 'The Project was the reason we sold tickets.' That's missing now,' he said.
He added that several of his former Project colleagues told him they had a 'really hard day' upon hearing the news.
The news show, which has been in a ratings free-fall since Bickmore left her seat as host at the end of 2022, has aired 'nearly 4,500 episodes' to date and will wrap up in three weeks.
Daily Mail Australia previously revealed The Project was under review and set to be axed on March 16.
The Project first aired in July 2009 and exceeded more than a million metro viewers at the height of its success - It boasted a rotating panel with stars like Aly, Harris, Tunny, Hamish Macdonald, Rove McManus, Taunton and Susie Youssef.
It won several accolades including 11 Logie Awards - two of which were viewer-voted Gold Logies won by Aly and Bickmore.
However, audiences began to dwindle in recent years - Just last week, The Project attracted between 238,000 and 357,000 viewers nationally.
