Michelle Hyslop
As far as big years go, 2023 is shaping up to be a momentous one for Breakfast presenter Anna Burns-Francis. As well as settling into her role on TVNZ’s flagship morning show, she’s excitedly planning a winter wedding to her fiancé Simon, who proposed late last year in a helicopter high above New York, just before they returned to Aotearoa.
“It’s so nice to be creating this life together at home,” she says, speaking to Woman’s Day on a Monday morning after her three-hour Breakfast shift. “It’s certainly a change of pace to living in New York, but I was ready for that. The air is clean, we’re near the sea, everything feels fresh, raw and wild, and the people are so friendly and familiar. Best of all, we’re close to our families again, so everything feels right.”
Two months into the Breakfast role, the former US correspondent and Fair Go presenter, 37, happily admits she’s still settling in. It feels exciting to be part of a new line-up alongside Matty McLean, Jenny-May Clarkson and fellow newcomer Chris Chang, but it’s also a steep learning curve.
‘I’m going to be happy for the rest of my life now!’
“I’m the kind of person who likes to rush in and take the bull by the horns, but with this job, I’ve realised I need to take my time to ease into it,” Anna reflects. “I have received so much support from the wider Breakfast whānau and viewers. It’s good to feel fresh and excited about a programme, and to think, ‘I really want to be involved in this.'”
As well as getting to grips with her new job, Anna and Simon, 36, are on a crash course in wedding planning. “There’s a lot going on,” laughs Anna, who met her fiancé through friends several years ago. Anna was living in New York while Simon, who works in tech, was based in Singapore, yet they managed to create a successful long-distance relationship at the height of the COVID pandemic.
“It was actually a really nice way to begin a relationship. Every time we were together, it felt like we were on an exciting holiday and it meant we were both really invested in getting to know each other on a deeper level.”
As TVNZ’s US correspondent, Anna travelled far and wide
She recalls the moment it became clear their friendship had blossomed into something more after Wellington-raised Simon had travelled to New York for his first visit.
“We were walking in Central Park and Simon said to me, ‘Do you want to be my girlfriend?’ It was really sweet and obviously I said yes.”
With neither of them able to return home to Aotearoa due to border restrictions, they regularly travelled to see each other and took holidays abroad together.
“It was quite a weird feeling because while New Zealand’s borders were closed, we were still able to travel,” says Anna, reflecting on those unforgettable COVID years. “We were pretty lucky. The longest period we spent apart was three weeks.”
In New York with her mum.
As their love blossomed, they knew they wanted to return to Godzone and settle down. She loved her job, covering huge events such as the US elections and the global pandemic, but she missed her family, particularly mum Robyn.
So when Anna was asked to audition for the Breakfast role, she was thrilled and secretly flew to New Zealand to try out for the job. Her hopes turned to despair, however, when she convinced herself she’d flunked the audition.
“I honestly thought it was a disaster, and I got back to New York feeling so sad and so low,” she recalls.
Simon, however, had just the pick-me-up, with a romantic proposal neither will forget.
Simon’s joyride ended in a proposal.
“I’d always wanted to take a tourist helicopter flight over New York, so when Simon suggested we book it in, I thought he was just trying to cheer me up. I had no idea he was planning to propose because we hadn’t discussed marriage!”
It was when they were high up over the Big Apple that Simon pulled out an incredible diamond ring and asked, through their headsets, if she would marry him.
“At first, I was like, ‘What are you doing? We’re in a helicopter!’ But then I saw the ring and realised he was serious. I was so happy, it was an immediate yes. It was the best surprise ever and suddenly it was like, ‘I’m going to be happy for the rest of my life now – the job doesn’t matter!'”
The loved-up pair celebrated over cocktails and called their delighted family back home to share the news. Anna was thrilled to discover Simon had already got in touch with her mum in Auckland to discuss the plan. “That meant so much to her.”
The excitement was topped shortly afterwards when Anna was offered the Breakfast job. Her fears over the interview were unfounded.
“I couldn’t believe it – it was almost too good to be true,” she enthuses. “It felt like everything was falling into place.”
The excited bride-to-be is looking forward to wearing her wedding dress twice!
Wedding organisation is well underway, with the couple set to hold a private, family-only ceremony in Wellington in August, followed by a big party in Auckland.
“I like the idea of exchanging our vows in a really intimate way, with just our closest family,” explains Anna. “But we’ll definitely have a huge celebration with all our friends and family afterwards, and it gives me the chance to wear my wedding dress twice, which is a bonus.”
While Anna admits she was never someone who was desperate to be married, it feels meaningful to be making such a special commitment to the man she adores.
“I love the life we’re building together, so marriage is the next step in that. Also, given most of our relationship has happened overseas, it’s a lovely way to celebrate us being home with
all our friends and family too.”
In the meantime, however, Anna is still getting to grips with her gruelling new schedule of early starts. Her alarm goes off at 3.45am and she’s in the makeup chair at TVNZ by 4.15am. Breakfast consists of two cups of coffee – “at least!” – and a muesli bar if she’s lucky.
“There’s definitely no time for a proper breakfast,” she laughs. “But Simon used to be a chef, so he cooks me delicious food to make up for it on the weekends.”
With the Breakfast crew.
After coming off air, the Breakfast team has a planning meeting for the following day, before Anna returns home.
“I try to have a sleep when I get home from work so that I can still bank some morning sleep hours and I find that is helping with the tiredness.”
She laughs when asked if she manages to fit any workouts into her daily schedule.
“I’m so bad at exercising,” she says. “I really struggle to motivate myself, even though I know it’s good for me. I even have a trainer, who I’m meant to see a couple of times a week, but I slept through our last session!”
She admits she is trying to be disciplined with early nights, but if she finds herself up past 9pm, she can rely on Simon to crack the whip. “He’ll say, ‘Get to bed!’ He’s good at keeping me in check.”
Anna still has to pinch herself that she’s found love with the man she also considers her closest pal. “The fact he’s my best friend is my favourite thing about Simon,” says Anna. “He’s so fun and so clever, and I’m really proud of the person he is.”
