TV star faces assault case Phelan off screen as court looms
AYR-BORN television star Ryan Phelan has been charged with assault occasioning bodily harm against his girlfriend Chelsea Franklin.
The alleged assault by the Channel 7 host took place on Saturday night. Phelan presented himself at Manly Police Station on Monday night to be interviewed by police.
The TV presenter and his girlfriend live together at a house on Sydney’s northern beaches, which they purchased this year for $2.6 million.
The 45-year-old was born in Ayr before going on to a stellar media career, with the star still having family in the region.
His big break came on Network Ten’s Sports Tonight, which he hosted every weeknight from 2002-06.
In 2005, Phelan won the Cleo Bachelor of the Year Award voted by the public.
Following his stint with Ten he signed with Foxtel, where his roles included anchor for Fox Sports News and hosting Fox Sports’ NRL coverage. Phelan joined the Seven Network in 2013 and was appointed weekend sports presenter for Sydney’s Seven News.
From there he went on to present the sport on Seven Morning News and news updates on The Morning Show.
Phelan is currently co-host of The Daily Edition alongside Sally Obermeder and his contract was set to end this Friday due to Channel 7 pulling the show. Phelan will not feature on the program for the remainder of the week due to his assault charge.
“Ryan Phelan will not be returning to The Daily Edition effective immediately,” Channel 7 said in a statement. Phelan wrote a post on Instagram about The Daily Edition’s axing, paying tribute to his cohost and saying he hoped to be back on TV soon.
“Firstly, I can’t express what a gift from god @sallyobermeder has been,” he wrote. “Every single day she is such a joy to sit alongside, I love her so dearly and am so grateful to have slipstreamed her talent.
“My mate @tomwilliams70 helped build this show, and I’m so grateful for his ongoing friendship. The production and behind the scenes team are some of the best and passionate I’ve worked with and will miss them all.
“And last but not least, thank you to everyone who watched, loved and supported the show. Hope to see you on the telly again soon.”
Before starting his relationship with Franklin, Phelan previously dated former escort Samantha X (whose real name is Amanda Goff).
Phelan is scheduled to appear in court on June 30.