She was reportedly one of the contenders to replace Sam Armytage on Sunrise.
But Sarah Harris shut down the speculation on Wednesday as she returned to Studio 10 after taking a few days off work.
Her recent absence had sparked rumours she was in talks with Seven, but Sarah, 39, reassured viewers she wasn’t leaving Channel 10 anytime soon.
Wagging tongues: Sarah Harris finally addressed the rumours of a network change on Studio 10 on Wednesday, after having having fueled the whispers by taking a couple of days off
‘I woke up to my phone blowing up on Monday,’ told her co-host Tristan MacManus.
When Tristan asked where she’d been, the mother of two teased a big announcement, then gave the real reason for her absence.
‘I’ll tell you where I went. You ready for this? I went to Melbourne to see my best mate,’ said Sarah.
She then played footage of the pals’ airport reunion after a year apart.
Sam had announced her resignation from Sunrise live on air on Monday, leading to a flurry of speculation that Sarah would be switching networks to replace her.
Tease: When MacManus inquired where she’d been, the mother-of-two wound up for a big announcement, before giving the real reason for her absence
‘But no, I’m here,’ she confirmed on Wednesday, pledging her loyalty to Channel 10.
She then joked, ‘The Cash Cow can’t do the cha cha!’ in reference to her co-anchor Tristan, who used to be a professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars.
The Cash Cow is a popular giveaway segment on Sunrise featuring a person in a cow costume giving away daily prize money to viewers.
Reasonable explanation: ‘I’ll tell you where I went. You ready for this? I went to Melbourne to see my best mate,’ said Sarah
In-joke: Sarah couldn’t resist a joke, quipping, ‘The cash cow can’t do the cha cha,’ in reference to her dance moves with her Dancing with the Stars alum co-host Tristan
Just a day after Samantha Armytage announced her resignation from Sunrise, Joe Hildebrand revealed his pick of who he thinks should replace her.
In an open editorial for News Corp on Tuesday, the 44-year-old former Studio 10 star claimed his former colleague, Sarah Harris, would be a perfect fit.
‘It is worth noting that I have no capacity whatsoever to be objective in any assessment of television in general or morning TV in particular,’ he wrote.
Weighing in: Just a day after Samantha Armytage (pictured) announced her resignation from Sunrise, Joe Hildebrand revealed his pick of who he thinks should replace her
Joe acknowledged that Channel Seven had no shortage of talent, listing Natalie Barr, Edwina Bartholomew and Monique Wright as obvious choices.
‘But the dark horse is my dear friend Sarah Harris, who is in a unique position to bring both novelty and familiarity,’ he continued.
Joe then used it as an opportunity to criticise his former employer after he sensationally quit Studio 10 in September after seven years on the program.
Favourite: In an open editorial for News Corp on Tuesday, Joe Hildebrand claimed his former colleague Harris would be a perfect fit. Pictured together
Plenty of options: Joe acknowledged that Channel Seven had no shortage of talent, listing Natalie Barr, Edwina Bartholomew and Monique Wright as obvious choices. Pictured, Samantha and co-host David Koch
He said that Network 10 could ‘contractually stop’ Sarah, 39, from jumping to Seven, but added it ‘wouldn’t be a great look for a network that prides itself on being nice’.
‘The opportunity might even be convenient for them, given their primary goal for Studio 10 seems to be to cut costs while still meeting local content quotas,’ he wrote.
In an open editorial for News Corp in September, Joe explained the ‘boring’ reason behind his decision to quit Studio 10.
‘It is worth noting that I have no capacity whatsoever to be objective in any assessment of television in general or morning TV in particular,’ he wrote
‘The boring truth is the network just needed to cut costs and I quit rather than take on a lesser role,’ he said at the time.
Meanwhile, Samantha, 44, announced her resignation live on air during Monday’s episode of Sunrise, after hosting the top-rating breakfast show for eight years.
‘The time has come for the sun to set on my time at Sunrise. I have always been brave and fearless in my career and this decision is no different,’ she said.
‘The dark horse is my dear friend Sarah Harris, who is in a unique position to bring both novelty and familiarity,’ he said
She explained she was leaving of her own choosing, and was looking forward to life away from the spotlight after a ‘bittersweet’ year that included the death of her mother, Libby, and her marriage to businessman Richard Lavender.
Sam’s last day on the show will be Thursday, but her $800,000-a-year contract with Seven expires at the end of the year.
She will take an ‘extended’ leave of absence until then, reported The Sydney Morning Herald.
Gone girl: Samantha, 44, announced her resignation live on air during Monday’s episode of Sunrise, after hosting the top-rating breakfast show for eight years