Melissa Doyle farewells Sunrise with a whole lot of love An emotional Melissa Doyle with Sunrise co-host David Koch. I've been a regular at Channel Seven for seven years now, and this morning I was invited to join the Sunrise "family" as part of the audience for Mel's final broadcast on the show. There was a lot of love in that studio. I think it comes down to the fact that she's genuine. Her on-screen "husband" David Koch proudly calls her his "best friend" and revelled in playing Mike Munro with a "This is your Sunrise Life" presentation. Sure, there were superstars like Hugh Jackman who had recorded farewells, but the most poignant moments were when her family and her best friend from university joined her. Those are the people who matter in her life. And I think that's her secret. She's real. What you see is what you get with Mel. She's a mum first and a journalist second. That shows with her compassion. Few journalists would allow themselves to "feel" a story like Mel does. When she got choked up on-air over the devastation of the 2009 Black Saturday fires, Australia choked up too. She cried with joy when Beaconsfield miners Todd Russell and Brant Webb were rescued from their underground coffin. Her beaming face reflecting Australia's thoughts. Throughout my career I've worked at Channel Nine, Channel Seven and ABC TV and trust me there are some fake and shallow people pretending to be likeable on TV. I've seen a host throw such a tantrum that a chair was tossed across a newsroom, I've seen a make-up artist reduced to tears by the snarl of a presenter and young journalists belittled by someone they had always admired. Working in television is a tough business and some people let those calluses change who they are. Mel hasn't. Adam Boland, the TV executive who originally cast Mel and Kochie on Sunrise, once told me: "I wanted someone who no one bitched about. Asking around the newsroom, no one had a mean thing to say about Mel or Kochie and that's what swayed my decision. These people are going to be in your lounge room every day for breakfast so they have to be likeable. I spoke to some of the other regulars who were in the audience on Friday morning. Jackie Frank, publisher/editor of Marie Claire magazine, said: "Mel's authentic, she has integrity and she has a lovely warmth." Advertising guru Jane Caro said Mel had been a role model for viewers. She's been pregnant twice on the show. She's had babies. She's blown the mummy wars out of the water. Most people think you're either a nasty, hard career bitch or a lovely mother, and Mel's shown how to do it without having to conform to this terrible binary view. And she's been a role model for women working in the media. "You can be what you can't see," said Caro. We need role models. She didn't do it as a cause or a crusade, she just did it by being who she is. Women in the media now know you can have what men have - interesting work and a happy family. The Daily Edition host Sally Obermeder said: "As a woman in television, Mel has shown me it's possible to have a balance of strength with heart - one does not negate the other. And being a working mum is not just a reality but she's demonstrated how to make it a successful reality in television. On Friday morning, with the studio audience filled with regulars rather than members of the public, Mel joked off camera: "This is the first time there's been a studio audience and no one's said: 'Oh you're so much taller in real life. And you know . . . not so . . . well big as you seem on television.'  All I can say to that is: hallelujah! She's not fat, she's not skinny, she's just normal. Proving you don't have to be a size eight waif to be popular on television. Frank agreed: "Mel is not a perfect sample size and that's what's been brilliant. It's not about her size, it's about the person she is. And having watched highlight reels of her over the past 11 years I can truly say she looks more beautiful and stylish than ever. She's comfortable in her own skin. And it shows. Now each weekday Mel will be hosting the 4pm news bulletin and a new 7pm news bulletin. She's moving to prime time. Yet much has been written and whispered about the "younger and sexier" Samantha Armytage "stealing" Mel's job. Well I've been going into Channel Seven three times a week during all of this and I've had my ear to the ground. No one has whispered about a feud, no one has gossiped about a takeover. Trust me, I love a scandal as much as the next person so if I could dish the dirt I would, but I simply don't think it's true. Caro agreed: "People are always jumping to conclusions and they're usually wrong. We like to pit women against one another. In a weird way, it's sexist. If Kochie was leaving and a younger man was replacing him it wouldn't be a feud or a catfight, we'd just celebrate his promotion. So let's celebrate Mel's promotion. Mel, I'm happy for you. You've paved the way for the good guys. Good luck with prime time and enjoy the sleep-ins.