Seven presenter Mel McLaughlin splits from partner of 10 years

A prominent Seven personality has quietly ended her 10-year relationship with a football coach whose recent career setbacks may have played a role in their break-up.

The couple separated last year, sources have told this column, although it’s unclear if the split occurred before or after he left his job as coach of Hong Kong Football Club in November.

Westwood left the Hong Kong club after 15-months with the premier league team after the team failed to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup finals.

Westwood, 48, departed promptly days after the club’s 1-2 defeat to Singapore.

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Despite a 50 per cent win rate at the club, Westwood’s management style drew fierce criticism including from the country’s Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui.

Westwood, once a Manchester United youth player, is understood to be currently on the lookout for a new coaching position either in his native UK or Asia.

Sources were unclear whether the thrice-married father-of-five’s change of career status played a part in his break-up with McLaughlin.

The couple maintained a low profile during their relationship.

The 7News presenter was still on extended leave from her job last week.

McLaughlin is expected to be off air for at least another week a Seven spokeswoman told News.com.au.

That takes to six weeks the length of McLaughlin’s first quarter break which Seven has described as “well-earned leave”.

Seven declined to offer comment on the break-up when approached on Thursday.

News of the split follows our report last week that Emma Freedman has won a plum hosting role for Seven’s forthcoming Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Freedman will join Sunrise host Matt Shirvington as co-anchors of the broadcaster’s prime time coverage.

Following our report last week, we’ve learned Seven bosses may yet tap McLaughlin to host a daytime highlights package.

She is also expected to report on the Games for 7News.

SINGO HEALTH BATTLE

John Singleton is recovering after being hospitalised for a recent cardiac episode.

The businessman-investor was admitted to St Vincent’s Hospital this month after suffering a re-occurrence of symptoms that have previously plagued him.

Singleton, 84, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

The hospital admission comes five years after Singleton was admitted to the same Sydney hospital in 2021 for what he then dubbed “maintenance”.

Speaking to this reporter at the time he described the heart condition as a “50-year-old problem”.

“As far as I know I’m not dead,” he said upon discharge.

The seven-times married and separated romantic prospector was sadly less forthcoming when questioned at the time about having spent the previous three months in Hawaii with multiple girlfriends.

His latest health scare comes days after the mooted sale of Nine Radio, Singleton’s former media company, to pub mogul Arthur Laundy on January 29 for $56 million.

Singleton had making sounds about buying back talk radio stations 2GB, 3AW, 4BC and 6PR from Nine for a year prior.

According to unsubstantiated reports Singleton made an eleventh hour counteroffer to require the network before Nine discounted it and went with Laundy.

VEGAS: CITY OF OPPORTUNITY

The NRL’s Las Vegas season opener set down for next week has established itself as one of the biggest media parties on the sports calendar as well as a valuable networking opportunity for ambitious news hounds.

In the space of two years NRL chairman Peter V’landys has created an event which not only showcases his code to local and foreign media bosses but also provides an opportunity for sports commentators and reporters to spruik their wares to the game’s administrators.

In 2025 three media personalities who flew to Vegas received a leg up professionally after V’landys took notice of them.

In May 2025 De Ceglie was rewarded with the inaugural CEO role at the Perth Bears.

Another to impress V’landys at the 2025 Vegas opener was Nine sports journalist Michael Chammas who was last week appointed inaugural general manager of the PNG Chiefs.

The third to earn V’landys’ admiration in Vegas last year was former Nine NRL match sideline reporter Danika Mason.

Mason’s promotion presented itself days after flying home from Vegas when she was promoted to be the Today show sports reporter.

This followed the axing of Alex Cullen weeks earlier.

Kelly shortly after quit Nine.

Mason is scheduled to return to Vegas this week for the 2026 NRL opener.

In the wake of her untidy appearance during Nine’s Winter Olympics coverage however comes speculation she may instead sit the trip out.

A Nine spokesman has indicated Mason will face no consequences for appearing tipsy on air, something that has confounded many Nine staffers who maintain there are two sets of rules for Nine employees – one for on-air stars and one for the rest – at a company that still, despite its expensive 2024 culture review, plays favourites

ALCOTT TEACHES NINE VETS A LESSON

Still with Nine and this column’s official 2026 Winter Olympics TV coverage report card is out.

Highlights for us (which was reliant on coverage on Nine’s free-to-air channel and its secondary channel Gem due to us having cancelled our subscription to Nine’s streaming platform Stan last month due to its poor offerings for women) included the vivacious Sylvia Jeffreys with natural hip shooter Dylan Alcott.

The two may not be experts in any particular Winter Olympics field but Jeffreys and Alcott, fronting Nine’s morning coverage from a cosy Sydney studio, were the standout anchors of the Games’ coverage thanks to Alcott’s contagious joy and Jeffreys’ unflagging delight in her co-anchor.

The pair were in stark contrast to Nine’s evening coverage anchors Ally Langdon and James Bracey who appeared frosty – both physically and socially – and bleached of colour.

Langdon and Bracey had little chemistry together and even less, or so it seemed, athlete and event background notes with which to stimulate audience engagement.

Todd Woodbridge, by contrast, was warm and well-informed, so too all-rounder David Culbert commentating on snowboard, slalom and ski cross, big air and half-pipe, and also figure skating’s own DWTS “Helen Richey” Belinda Noonan and Steven Bradbury on speed skating.

Having spent good money to acquire the Games, Nine should have spent a bit more finessing its coverage.

HOUSEWIVES TO RIDE AGAIN?

Matchbox Pictures, the locally founded production company behind Foxtel’s Real Housewives’ franchise and ABC-TV’s Dog Park, is shutting its doors.

The company announced its closure on Tuesday in a statement that may have surprised production partners.

The announcement came the day after Foxtel commissioned a new series of Real Housewives of Melbourne.

Foxtel is presumably now on the lookout for a new production partner.

The company declined to comment when contacted on Thursday.

There’s no word yet on who may star in the rebooted Housewives series but word is the production company is keen to bring back some old favourites (possibly Gina Liano and Jackie Gillies, both said to be keen to return) and introduce new talent.

Matchbox, which faced the threat of litigation from one Real Housewife of Sydney cast member in 2024 at the conclusion of the fourth season wrapped, is owned by American behemoth NBCUniversal.

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Speculation has swirled about presenter Mel McLaughlin’s future at Channel Seven amid suggestions she may be on borrowed time – but the Daily Mail has learned the reason for her recent absence is simple.

Insiders told the Daily Mail that McLaughlin is simply considered expensive and the network prefer to shell out for her during ratings season.

McLaughlin – who it was revealed this week had split from her long-term boyfriend, football coach Ashley Westwood – was reportedly blindsided last month when Seven announced Matt White was returning to the broadcaster.

White has spent the past five years on morning radio with sports station SEN and will be the face of Seven’s expanded NRL coverage this season.

McLaughlin – whose reported salary of $500,000 was slashed following Seven’s recent merger with media company SCA – was also overlooked for a hosting role ahead of the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Racing identity Emma Freedman will instead join Sunrise host Matt Shirvington as anchors of the primetime coverage.