After a year of waking up at 3am for his job co-hosting AM on Three, Ryan Bridge is looking forward to the Christmas break more than ever. “I cannot wait to get by the beach and get in the water,” he enthuses.
“It’s the opportunity of a lifetime to be able to build an audience and connect with people every morning. But I was surprised by how gruelling the hours are. It was a really exciting start to the year – we were out the gate with a bang. But the winter months were quite hard for me. I wasn’t taking good enough care of my health because I was so tired. So, I immediately started doing regular exercise and looking after myself, and I noticed a great difference. The warmer weather has also helped.”
‘It’s the opportunity of a lifetime to be able to build an audience and connect with people every morning’
For Christmas, Ryan, 35, will be making his usual pilgrimage south to visit his niece and nephew in Palmerston North, then continue on to Wellington to see the rest of his and his partner’s families.
“The thing I love about Christmas is catching up with family,” he shares. “Because of Covid and our busy schedules, we haven’t seen them as much. I also love that you can drink all afternoon and not worry about tomorrow!”
‘You can drink all afternoon and not worry about tomorrow!’
While Ryan enjoys a good Christmas feast, he admits it’s better for everyone if he stays out of the kitchen. In 2020, he invited his family to his home in Auckland for the first time. As a good host, he tried to make the meal himself and almost ruined the holiday celebrations.
“I got a hamper from the supermarket, which had everything you need in it and all you had to do was cook. They made it sound so easy, but it was very nearly a disaster. I felt bad because Mum came all the way to Auckland and still cooked the whole meal!”
As he reflects on the year that was, Ryan can only smile as he counts all that he has to be thankful for. “I’m really excited to be doing a job that I love and to have the love of a partner who I adore. I’m feeling happy and quite lucky.”
