Pictures: Emily Chalk, Paul Tatterson
Broadcasting has always been a passion for radio star Sarah Gandy, yet when she left The Hits in 2018 suffering from a bad case of burnout – followed by a gruelling breast cancer battle – she didn’t know if she would ever return to full-time hosting again.
But a lot has changed in the five years since she stepped away from the mic, and despite being in the midst of a sun-drenched holiday in Los Angeles when she was offered her exciting new role at More FM, she didn’t think twice about saying yes!
“It was a no-brainer,” says Sarah, who is thrilled to have joined her old friend Paul “Flynny” Flynn on More FM’s afternoon show after the departure of radio legend Jay-Jay Feeney. While the idea of stepping into Jay-Jay’s shoes was a little daunting, working with her friend of over 20 years was an opportunity she simply couldn’t pass up.
“I had to say yes to working with Flynny!” gushes Sarah. “We’re such close friends – more like brother and sister. To get to work with him every day is going to be so fun.”
Flynny, 44, admits that losing Jay-Jay after six years together on radio hasn’t been easy, but he’s delighted to have one of his best friends by his side.
“It was super-emotional, to be honest. We had a great six years together and a wonderful friendship and connection. Jay-Jay had spoken to me about how she was feeling burnt out for a while. I totally respect her decision. But it was still a big deal. It’s been a bit like going through a break-up.”
He tells Woman’s Day that he knew immediately that he wanted Sarah, 42, to join him on the show, and he’s grateful his More FM bosses agreed she was the right choice for the Drive show.
“Thankfully, I had some input into who the next host would be,” tells Flynny. “I think it’s really important. This is someone you’re going to be stuck in a room with every single day. Sarah was the obvious choice for me because we’ve been friends for so long. We have such great chemistry and a huge amount of laughs. We’re both very silly together.”
The pair first met more than 20 years ago at ZM radio station in Auckland. Former Wellingtonian Sarah was there on an internship fresh from broadcasting school and Flynny was working in the promotional team as a Black Thunder driver. They hit it off immediately.
“I turned up on my first day and the first person to walk up to me was Flynny. He was wearing a giant pig costume,” laughs Sarah. “He came up to me and oinked!”
After that unforgettable first meeting, the pair often hit the streets together for radio promotions and gimmicks. They loved seeing how much mischief they could get up to and say their friendship is based on a shared love of great music and the ’90s.
Dad-of-five Flynny, who married his second wife Jo Whitaker last year with a stunning West Auckland wedding, even officiated as a marriage celebrant at Sarah and her husband Luke Haigh’s 2016 wedding.
“And I’ve been a guest at both of Flynny’s weddings,” adds Sarah.
The pair share a great sense of humour, but they’ve been there for each other through the tough times too. Both have been open with their anxiety struggles. Sarah says Flynny was also a wonderful support during her breast cancer fight.
She explains, “I love to remind him about the time he made me a playlist to listen to during my first chemotherapy session. The first song on the list was Funeral For A Friend by Elton John. I thought he was having a laugh, but it turned out he hadn’t clocked it and was mortified when I pointed it out! It still makes me laugh.”
Until now, Sarah has been enjoying the flexibility of freelance life, doing voice-over work, MCing, media training, podcast producing and taking on short-term radio gigs.
She’s also been free to travel with film editor Luke as he breaks into the US industry. When the More FM producers offered Sarah the new job and she flew home, Luke stayed behind for another few months. The couple hadn’t envisaged being apart, but Sarah is confident they’ll make it work.
“We both try to remain open-minded,” she confides. “I don’t love the idea of long distance, but the plan is that we’ll both go back and forth a bit. And there’s still plenty of film work here, so I’m sure he’ll be back before too long.”
And as she navigates her return to full-time work, Sarah says her health remains her number-one priority. It’s five years since doctors diagnosed her with stage three breast cancer, marking the beginning of a gruelling treatment regime. She underwent surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy before doctors gave her the all-clear.
Now, Sarah has a new perspective on her life and health – making no apologies for putting her wellbeing first. She still takes daily hormone therapy Tamoxifen and does her best to live healthily. This means eating well, regular exercise and keeping a close eye on her stress levels.
Says Sarah, “I’m not going to mince my words on this one – my health has to come before everything else. It’ll be a juggle with the new job, but I’m confident I can make it work. I’m so much better now at managing stress and not letting things get to me so much.”
And Flynny has told his pal he’ll be there to support her, no matter what.
“I know what Sarah’s been through and is still going through,” he says. “I love her so much and she knows I have her back.”
Sarah admits that taking over from “an icon like Jay-Jay” has felt a little intimidating. However, the positive response from listeners has blown her away. She also praises Flynny for helping her through the first couple of weeks as she found her feet.
“We’ve been through a lot together and in many ways, we’ve seen each other grow up,” she says. “It feels special to be working alongside him everyday now. I know we’re going to have a lot of laughs.”
Adds Flynny, “We’ve always had a wonderful chemistry. One of the most important things is that we can take the piss out of each other. We can rip each other and we know that we won’t take it seriously. We’re only a week or so in, but already it feels easy, which is exactly how it’s meant to feel.”
Listen to Sarah and Flynny on More FM Drive from 3pm weekdays.
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