Channel Nine sports presenter Danika Mason is dating Bulldogs NRL player Liam Knight after suddenly calling off marriage to Todd Liubinskas

EXCLUSIVE

Channel Nine sports presenter Danika Mason is dating rugby league star Liam Knight, just months after calling off her wedding to personal trainer Todd Liubinskas.

The 33-year-old, who in addition to presenting Wide World of Sports is a sideline reporter for Nine's NRL coverage, was spotted cuddling with the Bulldogs prop, 29, at The Butler restaurant in Sydney's exclusive Potts Point this weekend.

An onlooker told Daily Mail Australia that Mason appeared enamored with the footballer and at one point practically sat on his lap as he stared wistfully into his eyes.

They started the evening sitting across from each other, before Knight walked over to Mason's side of the table and cuddled up together in full view of the onlookers.

'Her attitude was that of a relaxed woman enjoying an affair in preparation with a younger one; his was that of a deer in headlights,” the witness said.

As further proof the two are an item, Mason and Knight follow each other Instagram, and she also liked the 1.94 meter tall footballer's most recent post.

On Wednesday afternoon, Knight was spotted leaving Mason's South Maroubra home, which she used to share with Liubinskas, to take the former couple's dog Charlie for a walk.

Mason was due to marry Liubinskas, 40, on October 27 last year.

But she canceled the wedding just weeks before the ceremony was due to take place at Greystone Estate in the NSW Hunter Valley.

The exact reason for the pair's split is unclear and has become a subject of great speculation among footy and media insiders.

It is unknown how long Mason, host of the Sunday Footy Show, has been in a relationship with Knight.

Knight, who co-hosts a podcast called Stuk in the Middle with fellow NRL star Toby Rudolf, signed for the Bulldogs last year.

He played before for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and the Canberra Raiders in the NRL.

Mr Knight, who describes himself as a 'business investor', is a recovering alcoholic and revealed last year that he attended AA meetings twice a week.

He turned to prescription drugs and alcohol after a season-ending injury in 2022, eventually seeking help from Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou.

Together with South Sydney CEO Blake Solly, Demetriou arranged for Knight to be admitted to a rehab center for alcohol, drug and gambling addictions.

Knight spent 28 days at Foundation House in Lilyfield, in Sydney's western suburbs, and has continued to return to attend sessions twice a week since last year.

“I still go to AA meetings twice a week,” he previously said The Daily Telegraph.

'I go up and say, “I'm Liam, I'm an alcoholic.” People can judge me however they want. I do not mind.'

Knight said he had no concerns about being recognized at the facility, nor did he have any qualms about disclosing the extent of his addiction problems.

His main concern was sharing his story in the hope that it can help people with mental health and reassure them that there is help for those who need it.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Knight and Mason for comment.

Mason sensationally called off her wedding to Liubinskas at the end of September, just three weeks after the big day.

The sideline reporter, who recently covered the Australian Open, is said to be “extremely devastated” and “completely heartbroken” by the decision.

Liubinskas, who reportedly took refuge in his parents' home in Sydney's inner west in the aftermath of the split, had only just celebrated his 40th birthday a week before the split.

'Forty feels good!' he captioned an Instagram post of his birthday celebrations.

'Thanks for the love! An epic surprise,” he added, before tagging Mason.

The post remains on his Instagram account.

Mason and Liubinskas were last seen arm-in-arm less than two weeks before the wedding was called off at an event to launch BYD's new electric car and showroom in Alexandria, in Sydney's south.

After their divorce, another of Liubinskas' ex-girlfriend – who had been in a relationship with him for seven years before he started dating Mason – offered Mason a message of support.

“I can only hope that Danika isn't as blindsided as I was, or has experienced something similar,” the ex, who asked not to be named, told Daily Mail Australia.

“My heart goes out to her if she was.”

This publication previously revealed that Liubinskas had asked Mason to return her diamond engagement ring through a third party because it was a family heirloom.

Mason went on a girls' holiday to Bali last year, while Mr Liubinskas recently promoted nutrition bars at petrol stations.