Despite News Limited fueled ‘reports‘ that the show would not return until after June, in a new article Rove confirms it will be back at the usual April/May start time. It started earlier than usual this year.

ROVE McManus is going to live life on his terms and he doesn’t give a hoot what TV executives, the media, or even you think about it.

It’s an “I’ll do it my way” attitude that’s won him a legion of fans, a thriving production company and a successful TV career for 10 years.

Another example of that “my way” spirit is McManus’s decision to delay the return of Rove in 2010 until April/May. The 2009 season finale is on November 15, so the 35-year-old will have nearly a six-month break.Rove has had its ups and downs. It peaked at 1.54 million viewers nationally in June but has dropped to about 880,000 in recent weeks after losing Dave Hughes and Carrie Bickmore and being shunted back into a 9.30pm timeslot. The show hardly featured in Ten’s 2010 program launch last week. Weekend rumours had it getting a major revamp for next year, perhaps into a Hey Hey it’s Saturday-style format.

A Ten spokesperson says: “Rove will be back in 2010.”

“With the 7PM Project, it’s a new show and I’m assuming it will need time to find its feet as a program and a format and hopefully people will give it that time,” McManus says.

“This show (Rove) is my love and my passion and it’s always what I’ve wanted to do. If everything else fell down, as long as I still get to do this thing I love the most then I’m happy.

“We have that (a connection with the audience) at the moment and I think that’s where my enthusiasm is coming from.

“When your personal life is in a good place it helps with your professional life as well.

“People say to me, ‘do you still have plans to go to the States?’ and (the answer is) no, because I’m happy with what I’m doing here.

“It’s nice to enjoy the ride, which I haven’t always been able to do.”