Hayley Holt has made her debut as the new Breakfast presenter alongside Jack Tame, replacing Hilary Barry who has moved to Seven Sharp.
Feedback has been mixed, with viewers taking to TVNZ’s Facebook page to comment on the new set as much as the presenting lineup. When wrapping up the first show, Tame said there has been a lot of “aroha” towards Hayley. Referring to Holt’s debut, news presenter Daniel Faitaua joked that “there’s always room for improvement.”
In a promotional video for the returning show, Holt admitted that she’s “not a morning person, this is going to be a great job for me.” And during an interview with career expert Katherine Swan, she hinted that she might have even been late on her first day on the job.
“If a very new employee is, say, an hour late on their first day…”
“What are you referencing Hayley?” asked Jack, laughing.
“Nothing at all,” she replied, laughing.
The new Breakfast show lineup of Matt McLean, Hayley Holt, Jack Tame and Daniel Daniel Faitaua.
In this week’s issue of Woman’s Day, the former athlete and Green Party candidate described the Breakfast role as her “dream job” and said landing the coveted position came as a “complete surprise”.
But she admits that the big news gave her mixed emotions. “I had this sudden feeling of excitement, but it was mixed with terror,” she confesses.
She candidly revealed that she attended three consecutive sessions at Alcoholics Anonymous after she was offered the new role.
Hayley, 33, has been sober for three years and three months, quitting alcohol in her early 30s. She admits she has to keep an eye on her “sanity”, explaining that going to AA counselling sessions three times in the week she found out about her new job was to ensure she didn’t undo the hard work she’s put in.
“If I look at where I was three years ago, I’m a completely different person. Becoming sober was a turning point and now I have this incredible job.”
