Seb Costello explains mystery TV absence

GLOBETROTTING newshound Seb Costello has revealed the reason he mysteriously disappeared from our TV screens while working as the European correspondent for Nine News.

Seb Costello has returned to Melbourne after a stint as the European correspondent for 9 News. Picture: Tony Gough

GLOBETROTTING newshound Seb Costello has revealed he endured a period of “burn out” during his posting as Channel 9’s European correspondent.

Costello completed an 18 month stint as Nine’s man in London covering a huge arc of news from the royal wedding and the birth of a prince, to the London Bridge terror attack, Grenfell Tower disaster and the Manchester Arena bombing.

But it was an unscheduled three week break last August while he was covering a terror attack in Barcelona that saw the hard chasing reporter find himself in the uncomfortable position of being the news rather than reporting it.

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Seb with his father former Federal Treasurer Peter Costello, mother Tanya and sister Phoebe in 2006

“I was working on the Cassie Sainsbury story so over a period of a few weeks I was flying in and out of Columbia, then we had the Manchester stadium attack, the London Bridge terror attack, a few days after that I was standing at the foot of the Grenfell Tower watching this terrible fire that ultimately killed 72 people and then we had a bloke drive a van through a group of people at Finsbury Park,” he said.

“And then there was the incident in Barcelona. By the time I got to Barcelona, I landed on the Thursday night and in the middle of that story it all just kind of hit.

“I burned out in that situation. I got home and we just decided to organise a bit of a break.

“In that moment your mind is going 100 miles an hour and my phone dings and it is Eddie (McGuire) with the message: ‘Don’t sit there in silence, give me a call.’”

Costello, the son of former treasurer and current Nine Chairman Peter Costello, said he did seek professional advice during his three week break.

“Yes, I did. That is something that was new to me and it really, really helped,” he said.

“I am like anybody, I am a bit of a work in progress and being able to talk to someone allowed me to work out what was and wasn’t working and how to manage career and personal life a lot better.”

Costello returned to Melbourne 11 days ago with a full workload waiting — he is hosting Triple M’s Winter Breakfast with Paul Roos and Anthony Lehmann this week and will be reporting for the station’s Hot Breakfast going forward.

He will also be filing for Nine News, A Current Affair and Wide World of Sports.

Seb Costello and his fiance Bree. Picture: Supplied

“I have always tried to work as hard as possible and Ed (McGuire) has a great expression, ‘Bite off more than you can chew and chew like hell’,” he said.

In January he will marry his long-term partner Bree Janes in Hawthorn.

“Bree is the most important person in my life and to ask her to marry me and for her to say yes was an utter joy,” he said.

Costello is also heavily involved in the Salvation Army’s newly launched Red Door Movement which he launched alongside Major Brendan Nottle and Collingwood’s Jordan De Goey last Monday.

“The Red Door ” is a grassroots idea to empower everyone to help those who need it,” he said.

“Our aim is to engage people and unused resources for good.

“The red door name comes from the 1800s where homeowners would paint their doors red if they could offer shelter to passing strangers.”

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