DURING her days on breakfast TV, Mel Doyle was credited with helping the once-struggling Sunrise transform into Australia’s highest-rating show for the timeslot.

However, before she landed the coveted role, she was told by a news director at Channel Seven that she didn’t have what it took to make it to the top.

The brutal revelation was made during her appearance on Nova Entertainment’s new podcast series, In Her Own Words, created especially for International Women’s Day this week.

Doyle, 48, co-hosted Sunrise alongside David Koch from 2002 until 2013.

She currently hosts Seven’s Sunday Night program, and is also a presenter on SmoothFM.

Discussing her days before Sunrise, Doyle revealed that her boss told her: “You just don’t have it. You don’t have the looks, you don’t have the voice, just stick to being an on-the-road journalist and be happy with that.”

The popular presenter also detailed how she first came to land a full-time role at Seven.

“I was working in Canberra when I left uni, and I went to WIN TV and then Prime,” Doyle said.

“I came to Sydney and just knocked on the door and said, ‘Hi, I’m here, can you employ me?’ And they said, ‘We’ve got no jobs.’”

But the then 25-year-old journalist had no intention of giving up.

“I said, ‘Oh that’s cool, I’m really good at making tea and folding papers, I’ll just turn up every single day.’ And I did, and eventually they gave me some freelance work as a reporter.

“I’m incredulous now, like, how the hell did I do that at 25?”