Sarah Harris is an Australian television presenter and journalist best known for co-hosting The Project on Network 10 and spending nine years as a co-host of the morning show Studio 10.
Her media career started in 1997 and has taken her across three major Australian networks, from breaking news in Queensland to interviewing heads of state and royalty on live national television.
Who is Sarah Harris?
Sarah Harris is an Australian television presenter and journalist with nearly three decades of experience across the Seven, Nine, and Ten networks.
She built her reputation as a field reporter covering major national and international events before stepping into high-profile hosting roles.
She is best known to Australian audiences for her long run on Studio 10, her time as co-host of The Project, and her four seasons hosting Shark Tank Australia.
Since February 2026, Harris has added radio to her resume, joining Nova 96.9’s Sydney breakfast show, Ricki-Lee & Tim, as the resident newsreader.
Early Life of Sarah Harris
Sarah Harris grew up in a block of housing commission flats in Mount Druitt, a western suburb of Sydney.
Her upbringing was far from privileged, but she developed strong academic and communication skills from a young age.
Her father died of prostate cancer at the age of 50, a loss that shaped her early years. Harris has one younger brother.
The family later moved to Queensland, where she would spend her school years and begin her journalism education.
Sarah Harris Age / Birthday
Sarah Harris is 45 years old as of 2026, born on 13 July 1981. Her zodiac sign is Cancer, a sign often associated with strong intuition and a natural ability to connect with others.
Both traits have served her well across a long broadcasting career spanning live news, current affairs, and reality television.
Sarah Harris Ethnicity and Nationality
Sarah Harris holds Australian nationality. She is of Croatian descent through her grandparents, who emigrated to Australia.
That multicultural heritage is part of the story she has shared publicly over the years.
Sarah Harris Education
Harris attended Caboolture State High School in Queensland from 1994 to 1998. At school, she took part in debating, public speaking, school musicals, and the Rock Eisteddfod.
In Year 11, she completed work experience at Channel 7. In Year 12, she won the Open Division of the Channel 9 Young Newsreader Award.
In 1999, the Australian Young Writers’ Award recognised a story she submitted while still in Year 12. That early recognition pointed clearly toward where her career was heading.
After high school, Harris enrolled in journalism and international business at Queensland University of Technology.
She did not complete the full degree before beginning her professional career, but QUT shaped her foundational skills in broadcast reporting.
Sarah Harris Career
Harris stepped into her first professional role before finishing university, turning her early work experience into a genuine career.
Over the following two and a half decades, she moved steadily through the ranks of Australian television.
Early Career (1997–2012)
Harris began working at the Seven Network in Brisbane in 1997, filing reports for Seven News and later Today Tonight.
In June 2001, she joined Prime Gold Coast News as a freelance television reporter and presenter.
She returned to the Seven Network in Brisbane shortly after, this time as a cadet news reporter and writer.
By 2002, she had moved to the Nine Network, where she became a reporter, researcher, and fill-in presenter across several programs.
At Nine, Harris worked on the syndicated program Extra, joined National Nine News as a reporter, and became part of the Today team.
She delivered live coverage from the Cairns Tilt Train derailment in November 2004 and reported from Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen’s funeral in Kingaroy in 2005.
Later in 2005, Harris left Today to become a full-time reporter and fill-in presenter on National Nine News in Brisbane.
In 2007, she relocated to Sydney, where she covered news across Today, Nine Morning News, Nine Afternoon News, Nine News Sydney, and Weekend Today.
By 2012, Harris was the main fill-in presenter for Sonia Kruger on the Nine morning program Mornings.
She also filled in for Leila McKinnon on Weekend Today during McKinnon’s maternity leave.
Throughout this period, she reported live from major events: the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics, the Christchurch earthquake, the Black Saturday bushfires, the Brisbane floods, and the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Studio 10 and Network Ten (2013–2022)
In August 2013, Harris resigned from the Nine Network to join Network Ten’s new morning show, Studio 10, as a co-host.
She launched the show alongside Ita Buttrose, Joe Hildebrand, and Jessica Rowe. The role gave her a daily platform that she held for nine consecutive years.
During that time, she also appeared as a fill-in host on The Project and became a recognisable face across other Ten programs including The Sunday Project, Hughesy, We Have A Problem, and Have You Been Paying Attention?
In November 2014, Network Ten announced Harris as the host of Shark Tank Australia.
She fronted four seasons of the entrepreneurial reality format, guiding aspiring business owners through their pitches to Australia’s leading investors.
Harris also hosted holiday specials for the network, including Easter with The Australian Women’s Weekly and Christmas with The Australian Women’s Weekly.
The 2017 TV Week Logie Awards included a nomination for Harris in the Best Presenter category.
She farewelled Studio 10 in December 2022 after nearly a decade on the show.
The Project and Nova 96.9 (2023–Present)
In November 2022, Network Ten announced Harris as the new co-host of The Project, taking over from Carrie Bickmore, who departed the show at the end of that year.
Harris joined the panel five nights a week, Sunday through Thursday, from January 2023.
She worked alongside Waleed Aly, Hamish Macdonald, and Georgie Tunny. The Project was cancelled by Network 10 in June 2025, ending Harris’s run with the network after more than a decade.
In February 2026, Harris moved into radio, joining Nova 96.9’s Sydney breakfast show Ricki-Lee & Tim as the resident newsreader.
The show, hosted by Ricki-Lee Coulter and Tim Blackwell, launched on 9 February 2026.
Harris described the move as “a massive pinch me moment,” noting the intimacy of radio after a career built entirely in television news.
Sarah Harris Awards and Recognition
Harris received a TV Week Logie Award nomination for Best Presenter in 2017. The nomination reflected her decade-long presence on Australian morning television and her transition from field reporter to lead studio host.
In 1999, she won the Australian Young Writers’ Award for a story she submitted during Year 12 at Caboolture State High School.
That same year, she had previously won the Channel 9 Young Newsreader Award in Year 12.
Beyond broadcast awards, Harris was inducted into the Caboolture State High School Hall of Excellence in 2018, recognising her contributions to Australian media.
She also serves as national ambassador for The Smith Family, a charity focused on educational opportunities for disadvantaged children, and as an ambassador for School for Life in Uganda.
Sarah Harris Divorce
Harris married Tom Ward, an information technology specialist, in Sydney in July 2014. The couple had two sons together during their marriage.
In March 2021, Harris publicly announced that she and Ward were “taking time apart,” while confirming they remained close friends and committed co-parents to their two boys.
The separation was confirmed in 2021 and the marriage ended in divorce that same year. Harris has remained focused on co-parenting since the split.
She has spoken openly about managing the demands of a high-profile television career while raising her sons, describing a weekly routine that involved flying between Sydney and Melbourne during her years on The Project.
Sarah Harris Children
Harris and Tom Ward have two sons. Their first child, Paul William Ward, arrived on 16 December 2015. Their second son, Harry, followed on 8 December 2017.
Both boys were born during Harris’s years as co-host of Studio 10. She has spoken publicly about balancing the intensity of live television production with the demands of early parenthood.
The children remain central to her life, and she has described her sons as the anchor of her schedule during her time commuting between Sydney and Melbourne for The Project.
Sarah Harris Net Worth
Sarah Harris’s estimated net worth is $3 million as of 2026. Her income comes from a career spanning nearly 30 years across three major Australian television networks, radio, and hosting roles.
Salary
Harris has held senior hosting roles at Network Ten for over a decade, including co-host positions on Studio 10 and The Project, and the full hosting duties on Shark Tank Australia across four seasons.
Television co-host salaries at major Australian networks for talent of her experience and profile are substantial, though the specific figures from her contracts have not been publicly disclosed.
Her current role as newsreader at Nova 96.9 adds radio income to her earnings.
Other Income
Beyond her main presenting roles, Harris has worked as a public speaker and MC at corporate events.
She has also written columns for the Daily Telegraph. Her ambassadorial work with The Smith Family and other organisations has kept her profile active outside of broadcast roles.
Sarah Harris Social Media
Harris maintains an active presence on Instagram, where she posts about her work, family life, and media appearances.
She has shared updates about her move from television to radio in 2026. Her Instagram activity was referenced in Mediaweek’s coverage of her Nova 96.9 appointment in July 2026.
Conclusion
Few Australian journalists have worked as consistently across as many major networks and formats as Sarah Harris, moving from field reporter to morning show anchor to current affairs co-host to radio newsreader across nearly three decades.
Her career from housing commission flats in Mount Druitt to the national television desk of The Project reflects both the arc of Australian broadcast media and her own persistent work across every role she has held.