Photography: Emily Chalk
It was love at first sight when Sarah Gandy walked into the backyard oasis of her New Lynn home 17 years ago. With native trees, chirping birds and sprawling lush greenery, the More FM radio host and her now-husband Luke Haigh snapped up the Auckland house and turned its “secret garden” into a fun-filled space for New Year’s Eve parties and starlit spas.
It also became the sanctuary that helped heal Sarah, 42, as she fought breast cancer.
She explains, “The day after chemo, I would go for a walk and feel like I’d been hit by a bus, so then I’d just sit on the patio watching the birds, hearing the insects and admiring the greenery. It was an amazing place to recover.”
With so many ups and downs experienced at the property, Sarah has shed some tears now they’ve made the difficult decision to sell the house where they built their life together. But having paused plans for a full move to Los Angeles after Sarah was offered a role co-hosting the More FM Drive show, the pair were excited instead about making a fresh start in Auckland.
From Grey Lynn to New Lynn
Sarah was just 24 when she and film editor Luke bought the home, 18 months into their romance. Their mates frowned upon the pair leaving hip Grey Lynn for up-and-coming New Lynn. “It was rougher back then!” laughs Luke, 45.
“We’d have New Year’s parties called ‘New Lynn & Wines’ instead of Rhythm & Vines,” Sarah fondly recalls.
“People would turn up not knowing anybody, then have five new best friends by the end of the night.”
Luke adds, “And since the section’s so big, we would build different zones like ‘The Womb’, this light installation under a tree, which people could wander down to. It was like a mini Splore Festival!”
Then there was the “Summer of the Tepee”, when Sarah picked bamboo from the garden and made a wigwam using old Snoopy sheets. The bamboo also featured in the couple’s 2016 Marlborough wedding after being driven down for the ceremony.
A touch of their backyard at the wedding
“We had a piece of our backyard at our wedding, which was cool!” smiles Sarah.
Through the years, the couple has added their own DIY touches, like creating open-plan living, painting the bathroom pink and green, and extending the patio. Luke even turned one room into his editing suite, where he edited box-office hits like Taika Waititi’s Hunt For The Wilderpeople.
“It had a really good energy and made a great creative space,” says Luke, who also worked on hit Kiwi film Tinā.
Another room served as a Pilates studio, with the couple’s prized reformer machine. Exercise and wellness is important to Sarah following her health scare, which saw her diagnosed with stage three breast cancer after finding a lump in her right breast in 2018. She underwent chemotherapy, a mastectomy, breast reconstruction and radiation.
Building strength, inside and out
She has since begun strength training. “My health’s good now, so I’m slowly trying to get my body used to doing stuff again. It feels like a good time to start lifting big, heavy things and stop feeling like a sensitive little flower! Instead of going, ‘How do I stay healthy?’ I’m like, ‘How do I get even healthier?’”
One implication of Sarah’s cancer battle was that the pair wasn’t able to start a family, something they envisioned doing in their first home.
“When we saw the house, we talked about how there’s a school up the road and what an amazing backyard it had for kids – like a magic garden!” she reflects. “But I don’t feel sadness that hasn’t happened. The life we’ve had here has been magical.”
Now they’re ready for a new chapter in a new home with their fur babies – dogs Yuki and Pico, plus cat Charlie – as they prepare to celebrate 10 years of marriage and 20 years together. With Luke’s work taking him around the globe, they’re unsure where and how they’ll mark the milestones, admitting long-distance stints are challenging. However, whenever they’re apart, they talk daily and they feel closer than ever after overcoming their biggest hurdle in 20 years – Sarah’s cancer.
Love tested, love strengthened
Luke explains, “Someone told me that would either forge us together and create an incredibly strong bond or force us apart. We were fortunate enough that we’re inseparable now.”
Chimes in Sarah, who’s also dabbled in acting, “He stuck with me!”
And while long-distance is never easy, Sarah’s busy having “so much fun” since returning to radio. She loves that she gets to be “silly, creative and myself” every day, and that More FM listeners are loving and supportive.
“If I talk about something hard, they’ll text their support or if I’ve got a problem, they’re so forthcoming with solutions,” she says.
“There’s no trolls!”
Having previously taken time out from her breakfast show role at The Hits, due to suffering burnout, anxiety and panic attacks, Sarah’s grateful to be working in a healthier environment that supports her mental health.
A friendship that fuels joy at work
She describes office life with her new co-host Adam Percival as “one of the most supportive work partnerships I’ve ever had”. The pair have become fast friends and she feels lucky to spend her afternoons laughing with him.
“It’s good for the soul!” she enthuses.
Her anxiety hasn’t 100% gone away, but Sarah’s better equipped to navigate such moments now.
“It does raise its head, but nowhere near like it used to,” she says.
“I figured out how to manage it, got lots of help and saw a therapist, who I still see on and off. Every now and again, things get on top of you and you have to remind yourself what habits you’ve stopped that were keeping you good – and start doing them again.”
Creating tranquil spaces in a new home
Which is why she’ll be sure to create tranquil spots in her new home, like the fairytale backyard she’s farewelling.
“This house has looked after us through a lot,” says Sarah, glancing at mementos from her hen’s do, prized ceramics and the spacious kitchen.
“We’ve lived a lot of life here and it’s always been this little haven to come back to. But it’s time for it to be someone else’s beautiful space.”
Luke agrees, “It’s time to move on. We don’t want to be those people who live in the same house for 40 years!”
Listen to Sarah on More FM Drive from 3pm weekdays.
