Paul Henry has returned to his breakfast show, paying a heartfelt tribute to his late mother.
Olive Hopes passed away on Monday after a long illness, aged 86.
Henry had taken time away from TV and radio to be with her in her final days, but he returned this morning, thanking viewers for their kind words.
“I just very quickly wanted to thank you very very much, all of the people who have so kindly sent in their kind thoughts and their condolences at the loss of my mother,” he said at the start of this morning’s Paul Henry show on TV3.
“Thank you so much for that, it was really touching.
“I shared my mum’s final precious moments with her and I miss her dearly.”
This is Henry’s last week on screen in the mornings, as he confirmed earlier this year that he would be standing down from the show at the end of this year. He will be replaced by Duncan Garner for the new AM Show in 2017.
Henry and his mum had previously spoke to the New Zealand Woman’s Weekly about their close relationship, referring to Olive as his “best friend”.
“I do adore her. And I’m very proud… oh, you know that Mum. I’ve told you that a million times,” he said during the 2013 interview.
Olive warmed the hearts of the nation when she agreed to jump off the Sky Tower to mark her 79th birthday, which was televised, with Paul telling her once again: “I’m very proud of you.”
Paul’s daughters have also shared their own tributes to Olive on social media.
