Rugby league immortal Wally Lewis is quitting his role as a sports reporter on 9News Queensland effective immediately to deal with health issues.
Lewis joined Nine in 1999 and has worked as a sports presenter ever since, facing numerous epileptic medical issues during his presenting career.
The now-63 year-old underwent surgery on his brain in 2007 to help with his epilepsy, however the condition has worsened since that time period.
Most recently, Lewis was reading an introduction to a story and became visibly distressed after beginning his introduction. The control room then cut to the story he was trying to introduce in a bid to get Lewis off screens, so the public wouldn't go into distress.
The 63-year-old prioritising his health is the reason for his sudden change to step down.
“My health has made decisions for me in the past so it's my turn to make decisions for my health,” Lewis said.
“While I'll take more of a backseat role in the studio, 9News viewers can still expect me to keep them up to date on the highs and lows of local and international sport, and of course share my weekly NRL tips.”
Although Lewis has stepped down from his nightly duties, he will still be involved with the network in 2023.
“Beyond 9News, I'll continue to call WWOS home, and there are some special Nine programs in the pipeline that I'm also ready to tackle alongside my ongoing involvement with the QRL and FOGS (Former Origin Greats),” he said.
“It's safe to say that no two weeks in my calendar will look the same this year, which is what I'm looking forward to most.”
