Ally Langdon has spent more than 25 years at Channel Nine, reporting from war zones and natural disasters for 60 Minutes, surviving the brutal hours of breakfast television and eventually taking over one of the most coveted chairs in Australian TV as host of A Current Affair.

But for someone millions of Australians feel they know, Ally has kept much of her life firmly out of the spotlight.

In this episode of No Filter, Ally joins Kate Langbroek for a funny, candid and surprisingly personal conversation about the woman behind the television career.

She talks about raising two children with husband Mike Willesee Jr, the years they spent barely seeing each other while both had demanding careers, why she refuses to read the comments about herself and what really went through her mind when she was offered the A Current Affair job.

Ally also takes Kate back to her childhood on a farm on the NSW Mid North Coast, reflects on the stories that have stayed with her after decades as a journalist and explains why, despite everything she has witnessed, she still believes there is far more good in the world than bad.

And ahead of R U OK?Day, Ally shares the deeply personal story of her friendship with Maryanne Larkin and her late husband Gavin, the founder of R U OK?, and how their families have remained connected through extraordinary love and unimaginable loss.

To find more information on R U OK?Day click here.

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What To Listen To Next:

• Listen: "I Went to a Really Dark Place": Jessie Stephens on the Six Months Nobody Saw
• Listen: Sophie Delezio Wouldn’t Change A Thing
• Listen: Liane Moriarty Was Terrified To Write A Big Little Lies Sequel. She Did It Anyway.
• Listen: Harriet Dyer: "It Should Have Been A Dealbreaker. I Chose Him Anyway"
• Listen: Amy Shark: “There’s No Way I Should’ve Made It”
• Listen: Everyone's Talking About Rosie O'Donnell. This Conversation Explains Why
• Listen: Dave 'Hughesy' Hughes: "I Have Been a Narcissist Most of My Life"

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CREDITS:

Guest: Allison Langdon

Host: Kate Langbroek

Executive Producer: Bree Player

Audio and Video Producer: Josh Green

Content and Social Producer: Jess Chan

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land on which we have recorded this podcast.