{"id":489600,"date":"2026-06-22T08:56:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T08:56:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/489600\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T08:56:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T08:56:09","slug":"kris-fade-stays-in-dubai-rejects-sydney-arn-dream-job-after-19-years-in-uae","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/489600\/","title":{"rendered":"Kris Fade stays in Dubai, rejects Sydney ARN dream job after 19 years in UAE"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"dropcap\">Dubai radio personality Kris Fade has confirmed he is staying in the UAE after weeks of speculation that he could be heading back to Australia for a major broadcasting role.<\/p>\n<p>The announcement comes after reports linked the Virgin Radio Dubai presenter to a high-profile opportunity in Sydney, with industry speculation suggesting he was being considered as a potential replacement for Australian radio stars Kyle Sandilands and Jackie &#8216;O&#8217; Henderson amid changes at Australian Radio Network (ARN).<\/p>\n<p>On Sunday, June 21, Fade teased an upcoming announcement on social media, writing: &#8220;Decisions. Must be made. Tomorrow morning. 7:30 am Dubai. I&#8217;ll let you in on my answer and why.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/whatsapp.com\/channel\/0029Va5dROu3bbUxk7Jh2503\" class=\"whatsapp-style\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The post immediately sparked discussion among listeners, many of whom wondered whether the broadcaster was preparing to leave Dubai after nearly 19 years in the emirate.<\/p>\n<p>On Monday morning, Fade revealed that he had decided to remain in the UAE, despite receiving what he described as his &#8220;dream job&#8221; back home in Sydney.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Nineteen years ago, I left Sydney, Australia. I packed up my life, took a chance, and moved to Dubai with little money but with a dream and a lot of uncertainty,&#8221; he wrote in a lengthy statement shared online.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;A month ago, I was offered my dream job back home, in Sydney.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Lebanese-Australian presenter said the decision had been particularly difficult because his family, childhood memories and ageing parents remain in Australia.<\/p>\n<p>\n&#8220;For the last few weeks, I&#8217;ve spent countless hours thinking, talking, negotiating, praying, and trying to work out what the right decision was,&#8221; he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;And after all of that, I&#8217;ve made my choice. I&#8217;m staying. Dubai is home.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Fade confirmed he had officially stepped away from the Sydney opportunity, thanking the Australian station and its management team while expressing confidence in its future.<\/p>\n<p>The broadcaster said the decision ultimately came down to recognising the life he has built in the UAE.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Sometimes life isn&#8217;t about chasing the dream you had in your twenties. Sometimes it&#8217;s about recognizing the life you&#8217;ve built in your forties,&#8221; he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When I looked around, I realized that everything I&#8217;ve worked so hard for is here. My family is here. My friends are here. My businesses are here. My team is here. My future is here.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Fade also paid tribute to ARN and Dubai Holding, describing them as more than employers.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Over nearly two decades, they&#8217;ve believed in me, backed me, challenged me, supported me, and allowed me to become the person I am today,&#8221; he wrote.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/whatsapp.com\/channel\/0029Va5dROu3bbUxk7Jh2503\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"whatsapp-style\" target=\"_blank\">Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp channels.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>He went on to praise the UAE, highlighting its safety, opportunities, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve traveled the world. I&#8217;ve been fortunate enough to see some incredible places. But there is something special about the UAE,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The vision of its leadership is unlike anything I&#8217;ve ever witnessed.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The radio presenter also thanked his Virgin Radio colleagues, including Priti Malik, Big Rossi, Nala, Laasya and Jenny, describing the team as a family.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;What we have here is rare. It&#8217;s more than a radio show. It&#8217;s more than a workplace. It&#8217;s a family,&#8221; he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Fade ended his message by thanking listeners who have followed his journey over the years.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;So while Sydney will always be home, and Australia will always be part of who I am, my heart told me that my story here isn&#8217;t finished. Not yet.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;After 19 years, I&#8217;m still here. And if you&#8217;ll have me, I&#8217;m not done yet. Let&#8217;s keep going.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_1710_JPG.jpeg\" alt=\"Waad Barakat\" height=\"124\" width=\"124\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dubai radio personality Kris Fade has confirmed he is staying in the UAE after weeks of speculation that&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":489601,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[75733,156,240501,157,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-489600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-arn","tag-entertainment","tag-kris-fade","tag-music","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=489600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489600\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/489601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=489600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=489600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=489600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}