Perched next to a hot-pink Christmas tree, wearing an iridescent silver-sequin dress, former Shortland Street star Holly Shervey outshines all of the festive baubles – and her year has been just as shiny.
After an eight-year engagement, the countdown is on for the 33-year-old’s wedding to actor Emmett Skilton.
The star says 2023 has been a wild ride. “Wedding planning has been a big chunk of the excitement and marrying the love of my life right before Christmas is hands down the best part of it!” she beams.
“On top of that, our comedy series Millennial Jenny has been rocking it. One of our recent episodes blew up, hitting almost five million views, and the audience loved it. Spreading that much laughter to so many people feels amazing!”
Born a week before Christmas and named “Holly” by her parents, it was inevitable this would be her favourite time of the year.
“Christmas is like a blockbuster of goodness, where calories don’t count, and chaos reigns with gift wrapping and gift giving, and at the heart of it, it’s all about family and making great memories,” she says.
“Our Christmas tradition is pretty magical. We go home to Queenstown, kick-starting Christmas Day with a hike, usually up Sawpit Gully or some equally audacious mountain. Then the whole crew meets at Grandma’s for an early evening feast and at sunset, we walk around the Queenstown gardens and Lake Wakatipu.”
The wedding belle is loved-up with Emmett.
Her favourite childhood memory was when she was six and her dad pulled off “pure Christmas magic”, creatively leaving Santa and his reindeer foot/hoof prints in the family’s backyard.
“Believing in Santa’s visit was utterly enchanting at that age,” she shares. “Thanks Dad, for making those moments so magical!”
Now Holly and Emmett, 34, are looking forward to their first Christmas as a married couple and they also can’t wait for their honeymoon next year, travelling around Europe.
“Em and I have buzzing, fast-paced careers, but this year taught us that family and friends come first. Amid our careers, reconnecting with our loved ones has highlighted what truly matters.”
