Hilary Barry: ‘I'm just getting STARTED!'

The ballsy Seven Sharp presenter has finally learned to stop caring what people think and feels completely comfortable in her skin, she tells EMMA CLIFTON. Next stop, taking over the world!

- EMMA CLIFTON

We’re only one gasp into the new year and already there are parts of the 2020 lexicon that feel like ancient relics. But we’re still very much living with the repercussions of such a year – it’s probably why 2021 has been less of a “set a New Year’s resolution” kind of start and more of a “please can it just be easier than last year?” slow burn.

For Hilary Barry, beloved broadcaster and co-host of TVNZ 1’s Seven Sharp, this year is about starting new chapters, yes, but it’s also about taking the lessons from 2020 and continuing to put them into practice. As turbulent and difficult as it was for many of us, there came a glimmer of a silver lining that rode alongside lockdowns, levels and cancelled plans – time. The enforced global shutdown was the first time for many that the daily treadmill of plans, deadlines and responsibilities was temporarily paused.

“When you’re on that treadmill, you just take on more and more and more,” says Hilary. “I am a person – and there will be plenty of other people who think this about themselves as well – who thinks they thrive on having more to do. If I don’t have much to do, I’m a bit lost. But if I’ve got lots to do, then I’m super-efficient. And that’s part of the problem. Because if you feel like you’re a person who operates at their best when they’re really busy, you continue to be really, really, really busy.”