Michael Usher on ‘dad guilt’ and marriage breakdown

He’s an award-winning investigative reporter, foreign correspondent and news anchor, with a career spanning almost three decades.

And Michael Usher told The Sunday Telegraph’s Stellar magazine that his demanding career ‘comes with a lot of dad guilt’.

In the wide-ranging interview, the 49-year-old also admitted that his marriage breakdown with wife Annalie Usher seven years ago made him ‘a complete wreck’.

Michael, who began his acclaimed career with Nine and is now over at rival Seven, said that while long hours and fatherhood are a juggle, the end result is worth it.  

‘It may look like I’ve got things in hand, but I’m like a duck paddling underneath,’ he began.

‘I’m treading water every time and it’s a mess, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s a juggle and it comes with a lot of dad guilt, but it works.’

Michael shares sons Tom, 18, Max, 14, and daughter Alex, 12, with ex-wife Annalie Usher.

He admitted to Stellar that his marriage breakdown seven years ago was unbearable.   

‘I was a complete wreck for a while. When you go through a sad time in your life, when you’ve got everything going at speed and you hit a wall and stop dead, you slide down that wall and fall in a heap – and I did that,’ he said.    

Michael added that he would not have been able to cope, without the support of his friends and colleagues.   

While he has not commented publicly, it was previously reported Michael split from his ex-wife due to his intense filming schedule for Nine’s 60 Minutes. 

‘You could say it’s the 60 Minutes curse,’ a source allegedly told Woman’s Day magazine back in 2016.   

‘The pressure of being on the road and working away from home affects marriages,’ they added.

‘It’s hard to keep starting over every time you get back from an extended overseas assignment.’