Peter Overton opens up about the health battle that delayed his return to work

Nine News presenter Peter Overton has given a health update after he underwent delicate surgery over the holidays, delaying his return to the 9News desk for 2025.

Overton, 58, opened up about his surgery in a video posted on the 9News Instagram page.

"I took six weeks annual leave, and then my voice suddenly said, I'm on annual leave as well. I got very husky and raspy over the holidays, and went to the GP," Overton explained.

Watch the video above.

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"He sent me to an ENT (ear, nose and throat) surgeon, and suddenly the holiday turned into an operation in a Sydney hospital."

Overton said "quite a large polyp" was found on one of his vocal cords. Polyps are growths of tissue on the organs of the body that can be either malignant or benign.

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"They stick a camera up your nose and then down into your vocal cord, and then on a big screen, you see your vocal cords," Overton continued. "And I saw this. It was like a big blister, a lump just hanging off the cord."

He admitted it "scared the living daylights out of me".

"So I was operated on three days later... and they lasered it off. Then I was in hospital for a day, and then home, and then no talking for over a week," he said, adding that being "mute" was a struggle.

"It was interesting being mute. If I went to get the milk, I'd write an email to myself and it would say I'd have to show it to someone!" he shared.

Overton then worked with a speech pathologist to get his voice back to full strength ahead of his return to the news desk for the year.

The news presenter's wife Jessica Rowe had shared her husband's health battle earlier this year.

"As you know Petee doesn't do Insta - and he wanted me to share some news with you," she said on Instagram.

"He's off work for a little longer at the moment after an ENT surgeon discovered a polyp on one of his vocal cords which explains his very raspy voice over the holidays!" Rowe, 54, explained.

"He was operated on and part of his recovery is no talking for now (which is a HUGE challenge for him!!)," she said.

"Hopefully he'll be back to 9news soonish. Big thanks to the great doctors, nurses, speech pathologist and Pete's wonderful work colleagues," she added.

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