Gorgi Coghlan has revealed why she resigned from The Project

The 46-year-old announced in July she had decided to depart the Network Ten program, which at the time left her co-hosts “surprised and disappointed”, Stellar magazine reported.

Coghlan has no said she wanted to dedicate more time to the pub in Ballarat, Victoria, that she owns with her husband, Simon.

The pair bought The Provincial Hotel and its restaurant, Lola, in November 2018, and have since been at war with covid lockdowns, forced closures and “stressed staff”.

While many colleagues speculated Coghlan was taking a much-needed break, the former Masked Singer contestant said she had actually never been busier since stepping down.

“In terms of running a small business, it’s just gone into a new gear because not only are you trying to pivot, pivot, pivot every week, but because we own the business, we’ve had to lead a team that’s been shattered and broken,” she told Stella.

“Hospitality is just broken at the moment and we’re at the bottom of the barrel. So we’re putting a lot of energy into the business.”

Not only has Coghlan been living out her business dreams, she has set her sights on pursuing a singing career.

“It beats broadcasting for me; singing is my absolute number one. When I sing, I’m just transported to another place in time,” she said.

“I feel like I’m doing what I’m born to do, sharing what I’m meant to be sharing and really trying to affect people emotionally with my voice.”

Coghlan said after her appearance on the Masked Singer in 2019, her passion “came flooding back” and she thought: “Oh my God, this is what I want to do with my life”.

She recently performed two sellout live singing shows in Melbourne, and was in the process of writing another.

“Singing for me would be my biggest thing on my vision board and the biggest thing that I talk about with my manager. I love music therapy. I love what music can do and how it can heal us,” she said.

Who Coghlan is in touch with from The Project

Coghlan was still in close contact with The Project host Waleed Aly and his wife Susan Carland, who she described “very dear friends to me”.

“I always talk to Waleed [Aly]. He and his wife Susan [Carland] are both very dear friends to me. They’ve been here at the farm,” she said.

“We haven’t been able to catch up because of lockdown but sometimes it’s just a cheeky text. They’re just really lovely, decent people.”

Coghlan said she had also heard from Lisa Wilkinson and Peter Helliar following her resignation.

“I love watching the show now, as a friend [and] from the couch. I think the best way to describe my friendship with those guys is just that it feels really easy and authentic,” she said.

“They were surprised and disappointed that I was leaving, but they completely respected and understood my decision.”

Originally published as Why Gorgi Coghlan quit The Project after 10 years as a panellist