Going Against The Grain

AS A FORMER BALLROOM DANCER-TURNED-BREAKFAST TV CO-HOST, HAYLEY HOLT IS NO STRANGER TO GLITTER AND GLAMOUR. BUT THERE ARE MANY OTHER SIDES TO HER TOO, AS ERIN FISHER FINDS OUT

- Erin Fisher

Plug her name into YouTube, and there’s footage of her hosting Breakfast, presenting on The Crowd Goes Wild, twirling around the stage on Dancing With the Stars, running as a candidate for the Green Party, skydiving, snowboarding, throwing punches in the boxing ring, interviewing Jacinda Ardern and Hugh Jackman (respectively, but what a duo that would be), and opening up about her experiences with alcoholism and mental health. Seriously, is there anything this woman can’t do?

It has been over a year since Hayley Holt switched from debating politics as a Green Party candidate to talking news, sport, and entertainment on Breakfast each morning, but her passion for the planet certainly hasn’t been left behind. Getting made up for the camera, she gives a big nod of approval to our makeup artist, who washes all her clothes in preference to disposable wipes.

“People should care!” she exclaims when we get talking about the dire state of the environment. “We are kind of dooming future generations and it will be us when we’re old, and it’ll be our kids and their kids. I think this is the first time we’re going to be leaving the world in a worse place.”

Absolutely, the crackdown on single-use plastic bags is encouraging, but as she points out, until we take a hard look at our shopping habits, being handed a plastic bag with each purchase is just the tip of the iceberg. She suggests resisting consumer culture and buying less in general, which will have a far bigger impact than simply declining the bag.

“I used to just go out and buy stuff because I felt like it – I felt like getting a bit of a boost,” shares Hayley. “I don’t buy a lot of stuff anymore and I don’t feel drawn into buying too many unnecessary things.”