When Simon Barnett decided to return to More FM, he was driven by the simple desire to bring a bit of laughter back to his life after losing his beloved wife Jodi almost two years ago.
Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine he would be embarking on his first-ever major overseas trip with his co-host and pal Lana Cochrane-Searle four months into the job – or that he would get to meet his longtime idol Tom Cruise!
“It was an ambitious start to my international travel to go to a completely non-English speaking country,” Simon, 58, says of visiting Seoul last week. “To use a Top Gun analogy, Lana was my Goose!”
Simon has only been overseas a handful of times. Luckily, Lana, whose wife Katie Cochrane is a flight attendant, is a frequent flyer, so she was on hand to help Simon navigate the ups and downs, which included Simon almost missing their flight after forgetting his tuxedo at security and leaving his passport in a bar in Seoul.
“People would say, ‘Sorry, no English.’ And Simon would keep speaking English to them,” says Lana, 38. “I remember being like that. These are the things you get used to going to different places.”
Simon, who is dad to Bella, Samantha, Sophie and Lily, adds, “My girls said to Katie that I never would have done this with anyone else, and they’re right, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat with Lana.”
The culmination of their whirlwind trip to Seoul was attending the premiere of Tom Cruise’s new movie Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, and interviewing the legend himself. It’s a moment that is a long time coming for Simon. Eight years ago, he thought he had landed an interview with the Hollywood superstar, but it turned out to be a cruel prank from sister radio station The Edge, who had hired a Tom Cruise impersonator to trick him.
“I was like a sycophantic schoolboy in the interview with the imposter Tom Cruise,” recalls Simon. “The thing I was most embarrassed about was that he praised my work on Dancing with the Stars… And I believed him! I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, Tom Cruise has watched me dancing.’”
Though they had made the trip, there was no guarantee that Tom would stop and speak to them. And even if he did, Simon would likely only get 60 seconds with him. On the day, nerves were high as Simon now felt the whole country was waiting to see what would happen.
“He was so nervous,” shares Lana, who is a stepmum to Jay, eight. “Watching Simon leaning over the barricade was like watching a kid set off on their first day of school. You desperately want to tell them it’s going to be okay.”
It was an anxious two-and-a-half-hour wait as Tom slowly made his way around the gathered media. But when the moment arrived, Simon put his years of experience interviewing celebrities to work. He impressed Tom so much that they spoke for four minutes.
“Most people only got 90 seconds with him, so that was pretty cool,” enthuses Simon. “I noticed halfway through my hand was shaking while I was holding the microphone.”
Lana adds, “I was so proud of Simon. Regardless of the pressure, he nailed it. It so easily could have been one of those situations where you meet your idol and it’s not what you wanted, but it was perfect.”
As always, Jodi, who sadly passed away in October 2023 after an almost six-year battle with brain cancer, was never far from Simon’s mind.
“When I FaceTimed my daughters afterwards, we talked about how much Jodi would have loved it for me,” he tells with a smile. “She was never big on the limelight, so she would have hated the crowds, but would have felt thrilled.”
While he enjoyed his overseas jaunt, Simon admits he doesn’t have the travel bug.
“I’ve realised I’m a homebody,” the proud grandfather of five grins. “I did the Abel Tasman over Christmas and the Otago Rail Trail a month ago, and I loved them. Give me New Zealand any day.”
Considering they travel so well together, is there a chance the duo will holiday together again, but locally?
Lana is thrilled at the thought, but Simon is hesitant. “I’m not keen to stay in a DoC hut with Lana,” he laughs.
But he does have a better suggestion.
“I booked to go to Aitutaki in Rarotonga last year because I thought I had to do something with my life. But I got cold feet, so I’d like to go there with Lana.”
Before he can change his mind, Lana declares, “I’ll be there!”
Listen to Simon and Lana weekdays from 6am on More FM.
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