The Edge’s new breakfast presenter Dan Webby may not come across as a romantic while on air as one-third of raucous trio Clint, Meg and Dan.
But the 35-year-old former radio producer is actually a secret sweetheart, recently celebrating his second wedding anniversary to wife Hanna with couple’s facials, roses and brunch at their favourite Italian restaurant.
Dan is quick to admit his moves haven’t always been that smooth, though. On their first date back in May 2017, his nerves were on full display!
Meeting Hanna, 34, for the first time at a rooftop bar in Auckland’s Viaduct after they connected on a dating app, Dan tells how he was immediately attracted to his sweet, smart date, who has a doctorate in health science.
“We clicked instantly and the chemistry was there 100%,” he tells. “But it was my first-ever date organised online and I was super-nervous. I had these brand-new jeans on and I must have had the sweatiest palms ever because they were soon covered in dye!”
Thankfully, he won Hanna over, despite his blue hands.
“His chat was good from the start,” she tells. And by the end of the evening, after pizza, a few wines and a bit of 10-pin bowling, the couple, both born-and-bred Aucklanders, admit they were smitten.
Things quickly became serious just weeks later, with Dan, a die-hard theatre and musical performer since high school, getting the seal of approval from Hanna’s family when they came to see him tread the boards in a production of The Great Gatsby.
“He was great,” tells Hanna, who quickly nicknamed her beau “the Showman”. But despite his love of performing on stage and on air, keen runner and motorsport fan Dan admits that, at home, he’s an introvert.
The enthusiastic record collector loves nothing better than the company of Hanna and their beloved rescue cat Kimi, named for Finnish Formula One racer Kimi Räikkönen.
“I’m happy to sit around and be quiet, not talk, and Hanna’s exactly the same,” he reveals. “We are really good friends and we can just sit in silence – I never get sick of Hanna’s company.”
“Having kids is definitely on the radar,” says Dan.
Dan adds that he’s an “active relaxer”, while his wife prefers curling up with a good book and the odd horse ride.
“We’ve just started running together, which is a big achievement,” he grins, “because Hanna doesn’t really like any exercise that involves her legs! And I like documentaries, whereas she likes more escapist things, like Game Of Thrones.”
And though he insists he isn’t really a romantic, Dan’s stats suggest otherwise.
In August 2019, he proposed to Hanna with a diamond sparkler atop a gun turret during a sunrise walk in Devonport, after seeking her parents’ blessing.
“I knew that was the direction we were headed in, but the moment itself was a complete surprise!” smiles Hanna, describing how Dan had secretly organised for her extended family to join them for brunch at Italian restaurant Amano, where they broke the news to her sister and brother-in-law.
“It was such a beautiful day,” she recalls, adding that a manicure and a huge bunch of roses completed the experience.
The couple got hitched in January 2021 at an intimate ceremony in Ponsonby, Auckland, in front of 60 close friends and family, before honeymooning with a road trip across the South Island, including a helicopter ride to a deserted Queenstown peak.
Since getting hitched, Hanna and Dan have both scored their dream jobs.
Fast-forward two years and no one was more delighted than Hanna when Dan finally scooped his “dream job”, working alongside Clint Randell and Meg Mansell on The Edge breakfast show, after nearly a decade producing shows for the likes of Sharyn Casey, Jayden King, Jono Pryor and Ben Boyce.
“I’m so proud of him,” she says. “He works so hard, and he’s so dedicated, passionate, creative and funny.”
Dan fully admits that he “likes to push boundaries” and happily shares his life with listeners – much to Hanna’s dismay.
“We’ve had words about it,” Dan jokes. “Her job [in health IT] involves lots of confidential documents, so she’s super- private, whereas I’m an open book. We do have disagreements sometimes, but we always take time to sit down and talk – in a light-hearted way – about any issues during the week, whether it’s big or minor.”
One of the perks of Dan’s early morning starts, tells Hanna, is that they can finally have dinner together “at a reasonable hour”.
But with COVID limiting their shared travel experiences so far, one of their priorities this year is more overseas exploration – with the couple excitedly planning a trip to Europe later this year.
“Having kids is definitely on the radar,” enthuses Dan. “But we’ve both started new jobs and we want to do more international travel. So for now, it’s just us and Kimi the cat!”
