Hayley Pearson to keep the seat warm for Ali Clarke on Mix 102.3 Breakfast

Following Ali Clarke’s revelation of her breast cancer diagnosis to listeners earlier in the week, Adelaide’s Mix102.3 has revealed that Hayley Pearson will be keeping the seat warm on Breakfast alongside Max Burford.

From this Monday, July 29, Hayley will fill in for Ali while she steps away from the show to undergo a mastectomy. At this stage, the length of Ali’s further treatment and recovery time is unknown.

The show will still be known as Max and Ali in the Morning.

Ali says “I’ve known Hayley for years and when she left brekkie radio, she said she would never get up early again!”

“For her to come out of ‘retirement’ for me and our listeners fills me with joy. I could not have hoped for a better person to keep Max in line.”

Hayley is currently co-host of Channel 9’s HelloSA, co-creator of Adelady and has previously worked on breakfast radio including at Nova and SAFM.

Hayley says “The first thing I thought of was ALL the people Ali has helped over the years with a cancer diagnosis. She has been an absolute star to these people and their families and I know that everyone who knows her, loves her or listens to her on radio would drop everything just to help.”

“I said I’d never do brekkie radio again, but the sisterhood is powerful and Ali is the only reason I’d come back, I will keep her seat warm while she heals.”

Hayley’s mum was diagnosed with breast cancer eight years ago.

“I also have friends in their 30s and 40s currently undergoing treatment, so breast cancer is something really close to me — and coincidently a few days before I found out about Ali, we’d just raised over half a million dollars for breast cancer research here in SA.”

“I’ve always said in radio ‘we’re not saving lives’ but by Ali being so raw and honest by sharing her story, she actually might!”