If you catch Kiwi funnyman Pax Assadi tracing his fingers down fellow comedian Hayley Sproull’s chest or being carried around on her shoulders like “a sack of wheat”, don’t worry – it’s just a normal day on set for the Great Kiwi Bake-Off hosts.
“We’re like naughty kids,” admits Hayley, 32, who has returned to the TVNZ 1 show for season three. A newcomer to the series, Pax, 31, adds, “We’re so naughty that sometimes we verge on being cancelled!”
Hayley and Pax with Bake Off judges Peter Gordon and Jordan Rondel.
At this, the duo demonstrates their favourite game, “Find the Nipple”, which involves running their hands down the other person’s chest, calling “stop” when they think they’ve reached the target.
Hayley laughs, “People probably think, ‘You can’t do that to a woman!’ but Pax and I have a sibling-like relationship. We’re
like naughty twins.”
Their mischievous bond is evident during their chat with Woman’s Day. No topic is off limits after eight years of friendship, which started when they portrayed unpaid employees “screaming about Mike Hosking” on the local comedy Interns.
“Then Pax sold me his car, which solidified the friendship… until I realised what a piece of s**t it was,” says Hayley.
“You should’ve done a background check!” replies Pax.
The two agree that if it wasn’t for comedy bringing them together, they’d never have become buddies, given their different interests.
“Pax is a family man and I’m a boozy party gal, plus we have different fashion sense and listen to different music,” Hayley notes, recalling the “animal-like” response Pax once had when she played heavy metal.
“I could feel physical discomfort,” Pax says. “I don’t know what childbirth’s like, but I assume it’s similar.”
Hayley with fiancé Aaron.
However, they’ve found one common interest during Bake Off – Pax used hot basketball players to entice Hayley into watching NBA games in their downtime!
Before the cooking reality series, the pals proudly witnessed each other’s rise in the industry, with Hayley winning awards for hosting Have You Been Paying Attention?, while Pax wrote and starred in Raised By Refugees, a sitcom inspired by his Iranian dad and Pakistani mum.
They constantly learn from each other, says Hayley. “On stage, Pax is comfortable with owning the space, taking his time and not apologising for being there, whereas I’m frantic and worried I’m losing the audience. I try to channel Pax and be that unapologetic.”
“I haven’t learned anything from Hayley,” responds Pax, eliciting background chuckles from Hayley’s fiancé, actor Aaron Cortesi, 40, who played Ali Williams in The Kick.
Pax eventually concedes that Hayley’s enlightened him to the power of preparation. “When the Bake Off scripts came in, she sat us down to assess what’s funny,” he tells. “If it was just me, I’d leave it, but she’s shown me how doing the work behind the scenes can make it twice as good.”
Pax is also full of praise when it comes to Hayley’s ability to lift heavy weights. He grins, “She’s surprisingly strong. I’m 90kg, yet she hoisted me up like my Pakistani cousin carrying a sack of wheat through the village on his shoulders to make bread!”
Baking bread is something Hayley attempted during lockdowns, but she and Aaron were otherwise focused on cocktail-making. Meanwhile, Pax says baking wasn’t big in his life until he met his wife Sholeh, whose “giant, buttery, incredible” cinnamon scrolls wowed him.
“I put on weight after we married,” tells Pax, who’s a dad to daughters Vaha, seven, and Lua, six. Both girls help Sholeh, 37, bake, but are “more a detriment, as am I”.
Pax and wife Sholeh with daughters Vaha and Lua.
Hayley’s yet to meet her co-star’s family, hilariously revealing how Pax once invited her into his home, before noting Sholeh, who works in social development, “probably can’t be bothered” meeting her.
“My wife doesn’t like comedians because they’re exhausting,” explains Pax, whose Handsome Boy tour commences in October. “I love doing silly bits, but with Sholeh, I don’t need to. But most comedians are always doing bits and that’s too much for her. It’s not that I think she would dislike Hayley or that Hayley doesn’t have the ability to stop doing bits for 45 minutes, but it’s easier not to put both parties through that.”
“It’s funny because, for Aaron and I, our whole life is comedy bits – he’s my audience,” adds Hayley, before Aaron chimes in, agreeing it can feel “tiring”.
Hayley admits, “I’ve got some characters that are banned from the house because they drove a wedge between us!”
Despite that, Hayley and Aaron are now happily engaged, and Pax says he’ll be “heartbroken” if he doesn’t score a wedding invite.
“I’m laughing because there’s not a wedding,” assures Hayley.
“You’re just going to be fiancés forever?” questions Pax.
“Yeah,” laughs Hayley. “Fiancé’s a way fancier word than husband!”
The Great Kiwi Bake Off screens 7.30pm Thursdays on TVNZ 1.
