After four months of silence, Hilary Barry has spoken out about her resignation from TV3 and TVNZ’s “courage” in teaming her with a younger male co-host.
After quitting her co-presenter job on Paul Henry, Hilary is now joining 29-year-old Jack Tame as the new faces of TV One’s Breakfast.
In her first interview since leaving TV3, Hilary applauded TVNZ’s decision to pair an older woman with a younger man to front the programme – something she says is a rare occurrence in the world of morning news.
“That’s not right and it doesn’t reflect the diverse nature of workplaces around New Zealand,” Hilary told Stuff.
“Anybody else in any other workplace is working with a whole range of people and a whole range of ages, and when you’re working in a team environment you are not thinking about the different ages.
“You are all equals; you are all bringing your own experiences to the table. I absolutely applaud TVNZ for doing that because that takes a bit of courage,” she says.
Watch Hilary hilariously get the giggles while presenting. Story continues below.
Following her resignation, Hilary spent a few months travelling and enjoying family time.
While she has not commented on her reasons for leaving TV3 and co-host Paul Henry, she is looking forward to the excitement and challenges of fronting Breakfast.
“I think with the group of people who are going to be part of this show, there’s inevitably going to be lots of fun. You’ll start the day fully informed with a smile on your face, hopefully,” says Hilary.
Watch Hilary’s last live broadcast
