Ex-Today show presenter Alex Cullen in talks to star in show backed by billionaire Adrian Portelli who led to him being fired from Nine

Former Today show sports presenter Alex Cullen is in confidential discussions to play a starring role in a new reality series backed by the very billionaire who effectively got him fired from Nine.

Adrian Portelli will back a rip off of Nine's The Block, with Seven's new presenter Alex Cullen in talks to play a starring role in the show.

You can now listen to The Australian's articles. Give us your feedback.

You can now listen to The Australian's articles.

Axed Today show sports presenter Alex Cullen is in secret discussions to play a starring role in a new reality television series backed by the very billionaire who effectively got him fired from Nine.

Rival network Seven revealed it had signed Cullen amid much publicity this week but declined to indicate what specific duties the 44-year-old would be undertaking at the channel outside the vague suggestion he would be contributing to “a number of projects”.

However, The Australian can reveal one of those “projects” involves a potential reunion with high-profile raffle ticket seller Adrian Portelli on a reality show rip-off of Nine’s perennial ratings behemoth, The Block. Portelli has been unwillingly nicknamed “Lambo Guy”.

Sources within the network confirmed it was exploring casting Cullen on the new program, officially My Reno Rules, heavily financed by Mr Portelli and scheduled to air in the new year, but nothing had been locked in as yet.

Alex Cullen.

Adrian Portelli.

The move comes six months after Cullen was sacked from his Nine job after accepting a $50,000 cash deposit from the Melbourne lottery tycoon into his personal bank account following an ill-fated on-air publicity stunt.

Addressing the controversy at the time, Mr Portelli vowed to help the sacked presenter and said he would “be more than happy to collaborate” with Cullen on something if he lost his job at Nine as a result of the scandal.

Seven announced it had hired Cullen on Sunday. Four days later, the network revealed Mr Portelli, who entered The Australian’s 250 Richest list for the first time last year with an estimated fortune of $1.3b, had signed on as the “principal program sponsor” for My Reno Rules.

Cullen this week confirmed he would be fronting a new afternoon news-talk program on the network, as first revealed by The Australian’s Media Diary, two months ago before hinting at the potential collaboration with Mr Portelli, saying “there are going to be different roles, different shows, different capacities.”

The network insisted the promoter’s investment in the program had not been in any way contingent on the station hiring Cullen or casting him in the series.

“The decision to hire Alex Cullen for 7NEWS is not linked to Adrian Portelli’s sponsorship of My Reno Rules,” a spokesperson said.

Nine’sThe Block’s host Scott Cam and Shelley Craft. Picture: Nine

The new reality renovation show is set to be hosted by former Bondi Vet star Dr Chris Brown and – in a remarkably similar premise to The Block – feature “four hardworking teams of Aussie battlers going head-to-head, breathing new life into two neighbouring rundown houses in a picturesque Melbourne suburb”.

Seven have doubled the stakes, though, with two members of the show’s national audience to also be crowned winners during its grand finale, and be given the keys to multimillion-­dollar homes transformed as part of the series.

Ironically, Mr Portelli, who runs promotions outfit LMCT+, first shot to national fame after he turned up to the house auctions of The Block on Nine in a bright orange Lamborghini, earning him the unwanted nickname of “Lambo Guy”.

In January, Mr Portelli pledged to give $50,000 to the first journalist who called him by his preferred, self-appointed nickname “McLaren Man” on air.

Alex Cullen earns an easy $50,000 while giving Adrian Portelli a shout-out while using his preferred, self-appointed nickname during a live cross from the Australian Open.

Cullen complied with the request during a shout-out to Mr Portelli during a live-cross from the Australian Open with Today show host Karl Stefanovic, who also mentioned the tycoon’s preferred moniker on live television.

Mr Portelli later posted a screenshot on social media confirming he had deposited $50,000 into Cullen’s bank personal bank account.

The day after the Sunday Herald Sun’s Fiona Byrne published a story about the startling transaction, Nine released a statement saying the funds were returned to Mr Portelli, who later said he donated the money to charity on “behalf of Cullen”.

The broadcaster also immediately suspended the Today show presenter and conducted an internal investigation into whether his conduct breached the company’s code of conduct as it relates to commercial arrangements.

Mr Portelli posted about his $50,000 bank deposit online, calling Cullen “a winner”. Picture: Instagram

My Reno Rules host Chris Brown. Picture: Liam Kidston

Following a five-day review, Stefanovic confirmed the inevitable, telling viewers Cullen had parted ways with Nine in the wake of the stunt.

“As most of you are well aware, our colleague, Alex Cullen, has not been on air with us this past week,” Stefanovic told the Today show audience on January 24. “Last night, Alex and Nine agreed that he would finish with the network.

“Alex has been part of the Today family for five years now … we are going to miss him terribly. Alex is a terrific fella, what you see is what you get.”

Just hours after Cullen’s departure was announced, Nine’s director of news and current affairs Fiona Dear sent an email to staff in her division, reminding them of their “ethical obligations in relation to third-party commercial arrangements”. “The way we conduct ourselves as broadcast journalists and on-air talent is integral to retaining the trust of our viewers,” Ms Dear said.

Mr Portelli is known for his lavish lifestyle and love of luxury cars, earning him the title "Mr Lambo". Picture: Instagram

It was understood that Stefanovic was interviewed as part of the review into Cullen’s conduct, but unlike Cullen, the Today show host was not found to have breached the company’s policies.

Breaking his silence on the scandal that ended his Nine career this week, Cullen described his decision to accept the $50,000 deposit – about the same amount it takes the average Australian six months to earn – as “a silly mistake”.

“It was the hardest, toughest week of my career. Never in a million years did I expect that all to go down,” he told Stellar Magazine’s Something To Talk About podcast.

“That week was a whirlwind, like, is this really happening? And it absolutely was. And I had to get through it because, get this, it was the girls’ sixth birthday in the middle of that week. So [I] had to put on this brave face for them, make everything OK and happy.

“They saw me on the phone, pacing, trying to survive it all. But you’ve just got to put one foot in front of the other. It’s a little clichéd, but it’s true.

“You question your judgment; you question everything. You’re like, why did I do [that]? How did I get in this situation? I mean, I know how. But you just think, you idiot … Your confidence is shot.

“So you’ve got to reset yourself. I went to some dark places. Everything you work towards – everything you love and know – is suddenly gone. You’re like, whoa. OK, what now?

“That was a hard pill to swallow. I thought, I’m out now. There’s no way I’m getting back in. It was a difficult time.

“It was a silly mistake, one I should have thought through. But I can’t go back and change any of it. It’s there for [all] to see. But I have a chance now to rewrite the next chapter.”