Australian Survivor fans are devastated as decade-long host Jonathan LaPaglia announced he will no longer be at the helm.

The iconic actor and Survivor presenter has led the Australian version of the hit reality competition series on Network 10 since 2016.

On Monday (30th June), LaPaglia, affectionately known as ‘JLP’ by contestants and fans, took to Instagram to confirm the sad news.

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“Australian Survivor has seen some of the most epic blindsides over the last 10 years, but this one might just be the craziest of them all….because it happened to me,” he shared.

“I received a call from the Network thanking me for all my hard work and dedication to the show but for next season they are ‘going in a different direction’.

“Ratings had dipped a bit recently and they wanted to do something drastic to shake things up. So for the first time ever this is not a tribe swap, but a HOST SWAP®️ Yes, you read that right.”

He went on to thank the cast and crew, as well as the show’s loyal legion of fans, for all their support over the past 10 years, calling the hosting gig “one of the greatest adventures of my career”.

Thankfully, there’s still one more season with JLP as host for fans to look forward to, Australian Survivor: Australia V The World, coming up later this year on Network 10.

“Probably our best season EVER!” he claimed, before adding an emotional sign-off: “(Ps. Whoever said a blindside is the most humane way to put someone down is an idiot. It hurts like a b***!)”

His post received an outpouring of support from fans and several former Survivor contestants.

Matt Tarrant, who competed in JLP’s first-ever season, replied: “Mate, this is genuinely devastating.

“One of my favourite memories of the game is you pulling out the beers from the crew fridges for us Season 1 Cast at the finale because no one else cared about us at that point, absolute gem of a bloke - good luck for whatever is next JLP.”

And two-time competitor Flick Eddington wrote: “HUGE MISTAKE!!! It honestly won't be the same without you!!! This news breaks my heart!”

She then cheekily suggested: “Maybe you can come back as a contestant and blindside everyone!”

Viewers have also slammed the decision on Reddit, where one user decried: “Ratings dipped a bit recently so they ditch the host? Aussie Survivor has its faults, but JLP wasn’t one of them.”

Someone else slammed the move: “Needless to say completely shocking news. Awful choice by production.”

“This is so damn stupid,” a third fan wrote. “Maybe if they wanted to save on costs they could make it shorter than 50 days lol.

“Worst decision they have ever made. Channel 10 has been going down for a while though.”

Survivor fans - will you continue watching once JLP officially steps down?

Australian Survivor is available on Network 10 and 10play and can be streamed on Prime Video in the UK.