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Sharrie Williams joins 6ABC as new anchor

Don't worry, Monica Malpass-Rick Williams fans, they won't be edged out of the frame.

Sharrie Williams. Screen grab via youtube.
Sharrie Williams. Screen grab via youtube.Read more

6ABC WENT DOWN to Texas for its newest hire, bringing up Sharrie Williams from CBS11 in Dallas.

Williams will join the 5 p.m. broadcast as an anchor and the 11 p.m. as a general assignment reporter.

But calm down, Monica Malpass/Rick Williams fans! There's no lineup change in the works. Instead, a rep from 6ABC tells me that Williams will augment the team already in place, much as Alicia Vitarelli does for the 4 p.m. newscast. (Vitarelli is, of course, on maternity leave after giving birth to Priscilla Isabelle last month.)

Williams, a graduate of the University of Tennessee, where she got her start covering the Volunteers for Fox Sports Net South, originally hails from Albany, Ga.

She officially comes to Philly on March 3, but don't expect her on-air debut until later in the month.

"We're very excited for Sharrie Williams to bring her talents to the Action News family," a rep from 6ABC told me. "Sharrie will be a strong addition to an already talented team of seasoned anchors."

PHL to ATL

Hey, fans of Bravo's "Real Housewives of Atlanta," did you notice not one, but two former Sexy Singles in Sunday night's episode?

First up was Tyler Lepley, one of the stars of Tyler Perry's "The Haves and the Have Nots." The Doylestown-raised former football star who graced our 2013 Sexy Singles pages was being auctioned off at the masquerade gala of Kenya Moore.

Who was hosting the soiree that upset personal fave "Housewife" Nene Leakes so? Another Philly expat, Kendra G., a 2011 Sexy Single alum, who formerly hosted "Live with Kendra G." on 100.3 the Beat and Hot 107.9.

G. was recently booted from her Atlanta morning-radio hosting gig in a format shake-up.

OUT AND ABOUT * After his show at Boardwalk Hall on the "That's My Kind of Night" tour, country star Luke Bryan stopped by the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, where he was seen snapping photos with fans. * Audrina Patridge, the former star of MTV's "The Hills" and current host of NBC's "1st Look," was in town this weekend filming a Philly segment for her show. As I told you in yesterday's column, she was slated to work with the Cow and the Curd food truck by Yards Brewing Co. (901 N. Delaware Ave.). She did that and then tried a Yards Philly Pale Ale to wash down her cheese curds.

Celebs on the ball

Ray Martin will host his seventh annual Celebrity Charity Basketball Tournament, featuring some TV and radio names balling hard to benefit the Fox Chase Cancer Center. Players for the celebrity team include Casey Boy of the "Preston and Steve Show," CBS3's Ukee Washington, Gervase Peterson of "Survivor" and sports agents Jeff Randazzo and Bill Baldini. Eagle Jeremy Maclin will do the opening tip-off, and Fox 29's Karen Hepp will coach the celebrity team. It all takes place at noon Saturday at the University of the Sciences (600 S. 43rd St.). Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at foxchase.org/giving/celebritybasketball. For more info, contact Martin at 267-312-5456. After the game, Martin will hold a beef and beer at Finnigans Wake (537 N. 3rd St.) with 30 tickets at the door. Martin dedicates the game to his mother, Carol "Peachie" Martin, who died of colon cancer.

Twitter: @PhillyGossipDN

Online: ph.ly/DNGossip