Adventures with Paul Henry 'FEAR MAKES YOU FEEL ALIVE'

The broadcaster has weathered some storms and come back stronger

- Marilynn McLachlan

There’s a lot for Paul Henry to smile about right now. He’s just returned from Palm Springs and London, and is soon to head to Fiji when the Weekly catches up with him over lunch.

He’s also about to return to our TV screens, but his face lights up most when we talk family – he has found love and married businesswoman Diane Foreman, and he can’t get enough of his three daughters.

“I love them more than I’ve ever loved them,” he says. “It’s just unbelievable. I’m so proud of them. I’m just so desperately in love with them and they’re all in different stages.”

His eldest daughter Lucy, 34, is married to Frank, 41, and living in Melbourne working as an oncology nurse, and is mum to Reihan Henry, five, and Mina Olive, two.

“What we always do for birthdays is send balloons because if you can’t be there, send them an inflated helium balloon – or 50 – because children love things like that!”

But when Reihan turned five recently, things didn’t exactly go to plan.

“Diane told me it was his birthday and we organised huge multi-coloured balloons. So I phoned Lucy to tell her the balloons would be arriving the next day. She said, ‘Why tomorrow? Have you decided to start the birthday a month early?' That's how good a grandad I am!"

But little Reihan wasn't convinced it was a planned move. "He didn't accept it because he doesn't think that way. That's the beauty of being a five-year-old, having a singular vision But it's just not my birthday yet, Grandad.""

Middle daughter Sophie, 32, is still in New Zealand and her dad says she "is gorgeous and has an eclectic life, and is just finding her way still, as middle children often do".