As he begins his emotional farewell week hosting Sunrise, there is one thing in particular that David Koch is looking forward to most in his retirement – making up for lost family time.
Hanging up his hat after more than 20 years leading Channel Seven’s hit brekkie show, Kochie excitedly tells New Idea he has big plans for his next chapter, and they all centre around his beautiful wife, Libby.
Though he admits he had the “world’s best job”, Kochie, 67, concedes it often came at the expense of precious family moments.
WATCH NOW: David Koch and Sam Armytage take brutal swipe at Karl Stefanovic. Article continues after video.
“I wanted Lib and I to be able to have the flexibility to take time off whenever we wanted to and do some of the things on our bucket list,” Kochie says of the emotional decision.
“There comes a time in life where you sit back and say, ‘I just need a bit more control’ and focus on the things that we want to do.”
Breakfast TV comes with a high level of intensity, and Kochie readily admits “[it’s] not just a job – it’s a lifestyle. It runs your life.”
The huge demands of the job frequently meant Libby “put up with a lot”, says Kochie, and often had to take a back seat. Sadly, that even included holidays!
“In our household, there’s a long-running joke about how many family holidays have been cut short,” Kochie says, adding that Libby often had to travel with friends when he couldn’t make it.
Naturally, when it came time for Kochie to think seriously about retiring, Libby was integral in the decision-making process.
“I absolutely made this decision with Libby. She is a big part of my team.”
Now that the end is in sight, Kochie says the time has finally come for his patient partner to do everything she’s ever dreamed of.
“For me, Lib now deserves the opportunity to do those things,” he explains.
Indeed, Kochie says the pair has a “big bucket list” for the upcoming years while they’re still able to.
“We want to drive on Route 66 in the US. We want to go to the Andes – we love mountains. We want to go down the Ganges River in India on a boat.”
The other drawcard for the couple, who have been married for 44 years, is they now have the freedom to spend loads of time with their family, which includes eight grandchildren.
However, Kochie admits his eldest granddaughter, 15-year-old Matilda, did have one concern about his morning TV departure…
“Matilda said: ‘Poppy, I am so proud of you – but will you still be able to get me good tickets for the Taylor Swift concert?’” he says with his hearty, familiar laugh.
Meanwhile, Kochie says the couple is also mulling over a return to his South Australian home state.
“Lib and I have honestly talked about maybe buying a unit in Adelaide,” Kochie says of the potential move.
“We spend a lot of time in Adelaide and have been really pondering spending more time down there.”
Not only is Kochie the proud chairman of the Port Adelaide Football Club, but it’s where many of their friends and family reside.
With so many changes on the horizon for Kochie and Libby, it’s clear there couldn’t be a more deserving couple to reap these rewards.
Kochie’s bombshell memoir
Retirement is only just beginning for Kochie, but the veteran TV star might be back at ‘work’ sooner than expected, amid rumours he could be about to sign a massive deal to write his memoir – to the tune of more than $1 million!
With Kochie possessing decades’ worth of anecdotes from behind the scenes at brekkie central, well-placed sources reveal the book deal has plenty of tongues wagging about just how far he might go when it comes to spilling the beans.
“There’s a race to secure Kochie’s biography,” confirms one insider.
“This will no doubt turn into a fierce bidding war among the country’s top publishers – chequebooks will be open for whatever advance he asks for.”
Describing Kochie as a ‘straight shooter’, the source says he is “bound to deliver an explosive read”.
There’s no doubt the timing is perfect for Kochie to pen a warts-and-all biography.
Exactly what he reveals will depend largely on whether he wants to ruffle a few feathers – especially when it comes to his three Sunrise co-hosts, lovingly known at Channel Seven as ‘Kochie’s Angels’!
“You can expect gushing chapters when it comes to the decade he shared with Mel Doyle – they’re still very close,” the insider explains.
“The same can be said for Nat Barr.”
As for Sam Armytage, the insider says the seven years they spent together were “different.”
“They had little in common away from work”.
While Kochie will be encouraged to dish on the inner workings of Australia’s top morning show, our insider cheekily adds, “he’d probably prefer to write about how much he loves his AFL club Port Adelaide!”
Kochie breaks silence on “feud” with rival Karl Stefanovic
They’re meant to be rivals in the brutal brekkie TV wars, but it seems an unlikely bond has formed between Kochie and Today’s resident larrikin Karl Stefanovic.
Despite an almost 20-year age gap between them, Kochie tells New Idea he can’t wait to meet up with Karl – provided he has location approval.
“I received the nicest text message. Karl didn’t put it on social media like a lot of people do, and make it public, and almost make the story about them. He privately sent me a message,” confides Kochie.
“It was so classy and so respectful. It was wonderful and I think that is a reflection of the man he is.”
The pair are now planning on having lunch in Sydney in a few weeks’ time.
“I [told] him it wouldn’t be in Noosa,” says Kochie with a laugh, cheekily referencing Karl’s headline-making encounter with Michael Clarke in the beach town earlier this year.
Speaking of the apparent ‘feud’ between them, Kochie insists the real pressure lies with everyday Aussies who get to decide who to watch every morning.
“We’re pretty lucky we have terrific programs to tune in to. We all keep each other honest and we all inspire each other to produce better shows. We always have great respect for Karl and Sarah [Abo] on the Today Show.”
