Mike McRoberts recently celebrated his 50th birthday, but the Newshub presenter admits the personal milestone has come during a tumultuous year in which he has been truly tested.
Speaking exclusively to the New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, Mike reveals the many wonderful moments he’s had over the year – including finishing his fourth marathon in his hometown of Christchurch, and doing his first skydive – but also touches on some of the tougher times he’s experienced.
It has been a little over six weeks since the end of his on-air partnership with Hilary Barry, with whom he had read the news on TV3 for more than 11 years.
“I was a little down in the dumps for a bit,” Mike admits to the Weekly. “Even my wife Paula [Penfold] joked to friends at the time, ‘Oh it’s very weird. I’m having to support my husband through a difficult break-up.’”
While he is clearly missing Hilary after her departure from the network, Mike, who has welcomed Samantha Hayes into the 6pm hot seat, is looking to the future – including an upcoming trip to Rio.
The talented journalist will be covering the Olympics alongside long-time colleagues Michelle Pickles and Melissa Davies and has high hopes for the New Zealand team’s chances of bringing home a serious collection of medals.
“We’ve got a fantastic New Zealand team and we’re hopefully looking at our best Olympics ever,” he says.
Mike also discusses how he’s feeling about reaching his 50th birthday and what he did to celebrate (including whether his brothers were able to talk him into getting his first tattoo to mark the occasion!), the loves of his life and what lies ahead for the much-admired news presenter.
Find the full interview in this week’s New Zealand Woman’s Weekly.
