‘Heartbroken’ Studio 10 hosts address axing on-air

Kerri-Anne’s emotional Studio 10 co-stars were “heartbroken” on-air this morning – but she managed to land one jab at Ten for axing her.

The Studio 10 panel directly addressed the newly-announced cuts at the Ten Network on-air this morning, as TV veteran Kerri-Anne Kennerley remained stoic about her axing from the show.

But she couldn’t resist one pointed reference to her situation, announcing she’d opted to wear a marching band-style jacket because “if you are being run out of town... make it look like a parade.”

Ten yesterday afternoon announced a raft of changes across the network in an effort to cut costs. Kennerley and Studio 10 colleague Natarsha Belling were among the on-air talent to be cut, while fellow colleague Joe Hildebrand was still “considering his options.”

Host Sarah Harris tackled the huge news head-on, half an hour into the program this morning.

“You’ve probably read all about the cuts that have had to be made here at the network. It is all true. In a few months time, Studio 10 will look very different to it does now. We’re losing colleagues, mates, we’re losing family members essentially. How is everyone doing?” she asked.

Kerri-Anne in her marching band-style jacket: “Make it look like a parade.”

RELATED: Kerri-Anne’s most controversial Studio 10 moments

Kennerley, who will now exit Studio 10 next month after an at-times surprisingly controversial two years with the program, spoke next. She said that across her decades of TV experience she'd learned that you “don’t have to be the most intelligent, you don’t have to be the strongest but you have to be, to survive, the most adaptable.”

She thanked the Studio 10 team for inviting her onto the show and for having been “so delightful, so charming and so generous.”

Pointing at her marching band style jacket, she snuck in a jab about her current predicament:

“The reason I have got this outfit on today is because if you are being run out of town, get in front of the crowd and make it look like a parade,” she said, as her co-stars laughed.

“Companies do these sort of cuts to make the business better, which in the long run saves a lot more jobs,” Kennerley continued. “I am very, very sad because I will miss you guys and miss the audience, miss the feedback but that said, it is what it is. You just have to suck it up and move on.”

A sad morning on Studio 10.

Fellow panellist Joe Hildebrand, who news.com.au understands has been offered to stay on with Studio 10 in a reduced capacity and is currently considering the offer, said he wasn’t sure “what was going to happen” for him.

“But it’s been an amazing near seven years. I remember when it was just me and Ita (Buttrose), before Studio 10 even had a name.”

An emotional Angela Bishop said it had been “an incredibly tough 24 hours which has seen, I think, everyone here really embracing our colleagues and making sure that we take care of one another.”

Harris closed the segment by saying she was “so heartbroken for our friends … it has been gut-wrenching to hear the news.” She promised that the next few weeks would be “pretty loose” as they farewelled those departing.

Ten yesterday confirmed a “restructuring of its News and Operations department” that will affect on-air talent across the news and weather divisions. Mumbrella reported yesterday that newsreaders and weather presenters including Tim Bailey, Mike Larkan, Georgina Lewis, Josh Holt, Rebecca Morse, Will Goodings, Kate Freebairn, Michael Schultz and Monika Kos will also leave Ten.

News and weather presenters in Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane have been hardest hit by the cuts, as Ten moves to a more centralised national system, with just one weather presenter serving all of Australia.