Waleed Aly has been settling into some quiet family time after The Project was cancelled in June.

The 47-year-old stepped out for a coffee date with his wife, Susan Carland, 45, in Melbourne on Thursday.   

Normally wearing neat suits, Waleed was instead dressed down in a loose, dark green hoodie. 

He added a pair of navy track pants and sneakers, and had let his facial hair grow out, with some stubble visible. 

Susan also opted for a casual look, including a blue puffer jacket over a pale blue jumper. 

She added loose blue track pants and sneakers, as well as wearing a traditional head covering and headphones.

Waleed Aly (right) has been settling into some quiet family time after The Project was cancelled in June

The 47-year-old stepped out for a coffee date with his wife, Susan Carland, 45, (left) in Melbourne on Thursday

Normally wearing neat suits, Waleed was instead dressed down in a loose, dark green hoodie

At one point, Susan got something in her eye, and Waleed did his best to help tend to her ailment. 

Eventually, he found the situation amusing, giggling at his wife as they continued to stroll along with their takeaway cups. 

Waleed recently told Stellar Magazine that while he had a little more notice than some, the cancellation of The Project still came as a sudden shock.

‘I only knew for less than a week before it was public. So it was all fairly sudden,’ he said.

‘The hardest day was definitely the day it was announced – that’s when you are in the room with all your colleagues. People that you’ve worked with, in some cases, for more than a decade.’

While Aly admitted the situation isn’t unique to the television industry, he said the emotional weight of the announcement was felt deeply – especially by his own family. 

‘That’s what’s added to the emotional weight of all this, because my kids grew up through this show,’ he said. 

‘And talking to the kids about it was actually harder than I expected. It hit them in a way that I didn’t quite anticipate.’

He added a pair of navy track pants and sneakers, and had let his facial hair grow out, with some stubble visible

Susan also opted for a casual look, including a blue puffer jacket over a pale blue jumper

She added loose blue track pants and sneakers, as well as wearing a traditional head covering and headphones

At one point, Susan got something in her eye, and Waleed did his best to help tend to her ailment

Eventually, he found the situation amusing, giggling at his wife as they continued to stroll along with their takeaway cups

Waleed recently told Stellar Magazine that while he had a little more notice than some, the cancellation of The Project still came as a sudden shock

Aly, who shares two children – Aisha, 22, and Zayd, 18 – with wife Susan, said returning to a regular home routine is a bittersweet adjustment.

After years of missing family dinners due to his evening work schedule, he’s preparing for a lifestyle shift that includes more cooking – and plenty of cleaning.

‘I look forward to cooking more but it’s scary contemplating the mountains of dishes I will have to get through. It’s hard to see past them,’ he said.

Waleed married his television presenter and fellow academic Susan, who he first met aged 16, in 2002. 

Susan converted from Christianity to Sunni Islam in her late teens and has even authored a PhD paper on Muslim feminism.

She previously revealed that she didn’t expect to marry Waleed when they first met.

‘I think maybe it was that I’d become Muslim so I was dealing with all those changes in my life, telling my family and friends, and I needed everyone to give me some space.’

But despite her early reluctance to settle down, the pair soon began dating and now have a rock-solid marriage.

‘I only knew for less than a week before it was public. So it was all fairly sudden,’ he said

‘The hardest day was definitely the day it was announced – that’s when you are in the room with all your colleagues. People that you’ve worked with, in some cases, for more than a decade,’ he said

While Aly admitted the situation isn’t unique to the television industry, he said the emotional weight of the announcement was felt deeply – especially by his own family

‘That’s what’s added to the emotional weight of all this, because my kids grew up through this show,’ he said. ‘And talking to the kids about it was actually harder than I expected. It hit them in a way that I didn’t quite anticipate.’ Pictured on The Project 

When Waleed was honoured at the 2016 Logie Awards, he paid a touching tribute to his wife in his acceptance speech.

‘She’s a huge source of support for me but she’s so much more than that. [She’s] a challenge, a provocation and an inspiration,’ he said.

‘It’s a privilege to be able to share my life with you, so thank you very much.’

In addition to his television career, Waleed lectures at Monash University in Melbourne.

The former lawyer specialises in politics and international relations and even wrote a book in 2007 called People Like Us: How Arrogance Is Dividing Islam and the West.

Waleed has also written articles for various newspapers, including The Australian, The Australian Financial Review and The New York Times.