Career

Let the countdown begin! Sam Hayes is officially on maternity leave now

Sam's cherished baby boy will be here any day now!
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As one chapter ends, another begins. And so it is for Samantha Hayes, who is on her first official day of maternity leave today.

The Newshub presenter presented her last live news bulletin on Three last night, and from tonight she will be watching the news from the comfort of her couch.

The end of an era was clearly felt keenly by the expectant mother, who took to social media after the news to write, “Tonight was my last night presenting the news for a while.

“I feel sad saying goodbye to my @newshubnz family, who I adore, but I’m also so excited about beginning my own little family of three. Not long now till the little one arrives!”

Sam is due any day now, she’s expecting a baby boy with her Dutch partner Jeroen “Jay” Blaauw, who she first met some years ago while she was traveling in Brazil.

The couple celebrated their pending arrival with a baby shower in August, which was organised by Sam’s close friends, former Three colleague Claire Robbie and Harriet Wall and Anna Hood.

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The former Dancing With The Stars winner has previously shared that her pregnancy came as a “happy surprise”, but that it couldn’t have come at a better time.

“My work has always been my main focus and I still can’t believe how lucky I am to be doing a job I absolutely love,” she told Woman’s Day. “But I’m 35 now and it’s definitely the right time for me to have a baby. I feel extremely lucky that it’s come along.”

Sam revealed that she hopes to raise “a little feminist”, who will grow up knowing that Mummy’s job is just as important as Dad’s.

“I also want to be a fun mum,” she told the publication. “I talk to him all the time in my tummy and I definitely feel a bond already. It’s amazing to think that he’s going to come out and greet us with his little personality. We just can’t wait to meet him.”

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