Surprise move from Aussie TV royalty

Logie-winning television host Tony Armstrong is the latest in a growing list of Australian celebrities trying their hand at a new trend: writing a best-selling children’s book.

The ABC News Breakfast host and former AFL footballer revealed to fans this week that had turned his hand to writing with his first-ever children’s book, titled George The Wizard.

Releasing in October, the book is co-created with illustrator Emma Sjaan Beukers and follows a “quirky wizard” who lives on a mountain and learns to embrace his powers.

Armstrong told the Courier Mail he “didn’t want to write another footy story or necessarily an Indigenous-led story” mainly because it was what he said “people expected”.

“I love being in the world of the fantastic and being a bit silly. Kids’ books just throw the rules even further out the window,” Mr Armstrong said.

“It’s just feel and emotion and I was drawn to that – the only thing holding you up is you.”

The 34-year-old isn’t the first among Australia’s television royalty to turn his attention to writing children’s books.

Earlier this week, Sunrise weatherman Sam Mac revealed he too was penning his own book: a heart-warming picture book called Suddenly One.

The morning show mainstay said the book began after his daughter turned one and he started “jotting down some thoughts”, which turned into a poem and then a book.

For Home and Away actress Ada Nicodemou, her debut children’s book – Mia Megastar – was a way to deliver a book she’d have loved as a child of migrant parents.

“I never had a book like this growing up, I didn’t really have people on TV that looked like me either,” Nicodemou told The Daily Telegraph earlier this year.

“I hope it is going to hopefully touch a lot of girls out there from different backgrounds because we talk about our culture.”

Other notable celebs-come-writers include Andy Lee, of Hamish and Andy fam, who in 2016 launched his book and audiobook series, “Do Not Open This Book”.

Zoe Foster Blake, wife of Mr Lee’s other half Hamish Blake, has herself published nine books, including “Happy Farter’s Day” and “The Best present Ever”.

In 2023, ABC host Shuan Micallef released his debut children’s book, Tales From A Tall Forest, joining The Project co-host Peter Helliar’s long-running Franke-Fish series.

Others include tennis star Ash Barty with her “Ash Barty present Little Ash” series and Home and Away actress Kate Ritchie’s “I Just Couldn’t Wait To Meet You”.