“I think a year on, he’s very much in a different headspace to where he was a year ago,” Mr Wick said.
The executive explained how the pressure of everything that was going on at the time probably led to his downfall.
“It was a crash and burn. It’s one of the crashes and burns that he probably needed to have,” Darren said.
He went on to say that the break from the show was something that probably needed to happen for his overall wellbeing.
“It has taken him out of the glare, out of the spotlight for a while. He’s been able to settle down everything in his private life. He’s in a great space,” he said.
The executive’s confession comes after it was revealed the network its brand new Today show line-up as part of its shakeup to give the breakfast program fresh new appeal.
Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, the network confirmed Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon will be joined by a new-look team from next month.
“The new-look @TheTodayShow team, hosted by @AllisonLangdon and @KarlStefanovic_, will be on-air from Monday, January 6,” the network captioned.
In addition to Georgie Gardner and Deb Knight leaving the show, Channel Nine reported entertainment guru Richard Wilkins and weather presenter Steve Jacobs will also depart.