Who is replacing Kochie on Sunrise? Matt Shirvington announced as new Sunrise host.

The Sunrise couch offers some of the most visible TV jobs in the country, and soon a new face will sit alongside Nat Barr each morning following David 'Kochie' Kochie's resignation.

The breakfast telly host has sat on that sofa for 21 years, and he seemed to show no signs of budging up until the moment he pulled the plug. So what led him to this decision? And who is going to be subbed into the David Koch spot on the Sunrise sofa?

Watch Kochie stick his foot in it on Sunrise. Post continues after video.

On June 5, he and Barr announced his replacement as Matt Shirvington, calling it "the worst-kept secret ever".

"The time has come to share with Australia who will be taking your seat," Barr told Koch.

"A very big welcome and congratulations to Matt!"

Shirvington, who joined the hosts on the couch, said he was full of emotion about replacing the TV veteran.

"Just amazing. Daunted. So excited. Happy. I cannot tell you the honour and privilege this is, a huge job - and an exciting job," he said.

Koch said he was "absolutely perfect" for the role, as the show's regular fill-in host.

"You are going to be sensational, you are going to be the perfect fit," he said.

Shirvington said the show already felt like "family".

"It's a family show, it's a mouthpiece for all Australians and their stories - and I love their stories... the thing I love the most is sitting on this couch, and going from complete elation and excitement and happiness with some of the stories that you hear about... to the heartbreak and the horror and sadness, and wiping a tear from your eye and moving on.

"It's a phenomenal thing. The depth of this team that Sunrise has - from the control room, our producers, to the on-air family as well - they're passionate."

Who is Matt Shirvington?

Shirvington is a former sprinter, who held the national 100m sprint title from 1998 to 2002.

At the Sydney 2000 Olympics, he qualified for the 100m semi-finals.

He previously appeared on Dancing with the Stars in 2004, and has also held reporter and presenter roles with Sky News Australia and Fox Sports before joining the Seven Network in 2020.

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A post shared by Matt Shirvington (@mattshirvo)

He joined Channel 7 as a sports reporter in 2020, but his role quickly expanded to cover weekday and weekend shifts on Sunrise and The Morning Show.

Dr Chris Brown and journalist Matt Doran were rumoured to be the other possible replacements.

Why is Kochie leaving Sunrise?

On Monday, May 29, Kochie said he had made the decision to "hang up the boots" after more than 5300 shows and 16,000 hours of television.

He said he was moving on to focus on his family and family business.

"After 20 consecutive premierships in the breakfast TV ratings game, I'm frankly finding it harder to get off the ground to take those marks and I think it's time to bring to the next generation," he explained.

"I started here before Facebook, before Instagram, before Twitter and iPhones. That's how old I am. I have loved every single minute of it and I'm incredibly proud of what we've achieved here over the last 21 years. I've been privileged to experience so many great adventures, to meet so many different people and to cover so many moments of history in the making. It really is the world's best job."

When is Kochie leaving Sunrise?

Sunrise co-host Natalie Barr Kochie said the show would not be what it is today without him.

"It's been an amazing ride and we're going to celebrate that in the next two weeks," she said.

Kochie announced his final show will be Friday, June 9.

Feature image: Channel 7.