LEGENDARY comedian Adam Hills has made a shock career change to sport.
The Australian is best known for his TV work hosting hit Channel 4 show The Last Leg.
The 54-year-old, who is married to opera singer and compatriot Ali McGregor, has now taken on a surprising new role.
The Rugby Football League was founded way back in 1895.
And it is now making history after it was announced that Hills is set to become the next president of the governing body of the sport in the UK.
RFL chief executive Tony Sutton said: “I am delighted that Adam Hills MBE has accepted our invitation to succeed Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP.
“There has been no more enthusiastic or eloquent advocate for rugby league in the media than Adam in recent years, whether as host of Channel 4’s Super League coverage, or welcoming our England Wheelchair World Cup winners as guests on The Last Leg.”
Hills will be the first Aussie to hold the position once he is formally elected to the position in December.
And he posted his delight on X at the appointment.
He wrote: “I’m so honoured to be endorsed as the next President of the Rugby Football League.
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“I’ll do my best to promote all aspects of the game – from the community teams, to the disability variants, the women’s game, and the men’s. I love Rugby League, me.”
It did not take long for the well-wishes to come flooding in either.
One reply read: “Couldn’t think of anyone better. I applaud this loudly.”
While another said: “Fantastic news. You can genuinely see in your face the love and passion you have for this game.”
Hills revealed to ABC News in June how rugby league had been a lifelong obsession.
And he added that the sport offers something much different from stand-up.
He said: “It became a bit of an obsession.”
“It also came at a time in my life where I had done a lot of stand-up comedy and I needed to refresh my brain a bit.”