The stars of some of our biggest entertainment stories of the year
The stars of some of our biggest entertainment stories of the year
2016 was a rollercoaster of a year in the local entertainment industry. These are the 10 biggest entertainment stories from the New Zealand Herald over the past year
Jordan Mauger and Fleur Verhoeven shortly before they booke up. Photo/Doug Sherring.
In the biggest twist in New Zealand reality TV history, and easily the biggest local entertainment story of the year, The Bachelor NZ Jordan Mauger stunned the nation by dumping his chosen bachelorette less than 24 hours after the final episode. Fans had been surprised when Mauger chose Fleur Verhoeven over Naz Khanjani, and it seems Mauger felt the same way once the dust had settled. A heartbroken Verhoeven broke the news to Story, and instantly turned the whole country against Mauger and his utterly unromantic ways.
TV3 has lost a lot of big names over the last few years, but none was as shocking as when Hilary Barry announced she was leaving the network. The Mother of the Nation, Barry had been a newsreader on 3News/Newshub for over a decade, and her departure was met with tears from her and co-host Mike McRoberts. Her departure was seen as the final straw for embattled Mediaworks CEO Mark Weldon, who quit shortly after, while Barry went on to host a revamped Breakfast on TVNZ 1.
Hilary Barry leaves TV3 for the last time after resigning. Photo/Doug Sherring
While The Bachelor NZ this year may have been pretty bloody boring, there was at least the intrigue of some of the contestant's secret pasts. The show did not reveal that several of the contestants were professional actors and models, but the biggest secret came from contestant Rebecca Trelease. The actor, who had appeared on Nothing Trivial and Shortland Street, had also written a Masters thesis on romance and reality television. Trelease was later evicted from the show when her secret came out.
John Campbell greets and thanks Save Campbell Live supporters shortly before the axing of his current affairs show. Photo/Brett Phibbs
When you leave a company you've worked with for 20 years, you'd expect a nice leaving gift, wouldn't you? Well, apparently John Campbell didn't get the courtesy. Campbell, along with his producer Pip Keane, received "shitty, identical bunches of flowers" as their leaving gifts after their current affairs show was cancelled, a Spinoff investigation revealed. Other TV3 staff to get crap gifts included Carolyn Robinson, who got a Whitcoulls voucher, and Carly Flynn, who got nothing.
In one of the show's biggest departures in recent years, Shorty Street once more bid farewell Rachel McKenna, though it was not quite as dramatic for actress Angela Bloomfield. Speaking to Weekend magazine, Bloomfield gave a simple reason for leaving the soap: she's been playing the character on and off since the 90s - "is 24 years not enough for anybody?" Bloomfield now hopes to try new opportunities in acting and directing, though with a big anniversary next year, the doors open for Rachel to return.
Grant Kereama and Polly Gillespie in September 2013. Photo/Norrie Montgomery
The nation's hearts ached when Polly Gillespie and Grant Kereama announced their split in 2015 after 30 years together. Thankfully, the split didn't bring an end to their Hits radio show, and earlier this year the pair confirmed they both have found love with new people. The pair gently teased each other at the time, with Gillespie calling Kereama's partner "very old" and Kereama rejecting claims his ex was now seeing a "manly man", showing there is no love lost between them.
Duncan Garner and Paul Henry at a Mediaworks event. Photo/Supplied
Love him or hate him, there is no denying that Paul Henry was a dominant force in the (on and off) years he was on our screens, and the fact he was going to leave morning television behind struck a chord with viewers. Following a controversial interview with the NZ Herald, Henry announced in October he would be leaving his eponymous show behind, and next year will be replaced by Duncan Garner. Whether Garner will be as much of a hit with viewers, only time will tell.
It was the celebrity feud literally no one saw coming. 80s pop icon Boy George dramatically cut short an interview with Seven Sharp when host Toni Street brought up his 2009 conviction for assault, storming away from the video interview. George's group, Culture Club, later cancelled their New Zealand tour - possibly out of fear of retribution from all of Street's fans (Toni Street Preachers, anyone?)
Dom and Jay Jay Harvey, alongside Dominic Bowden, in March 2015. Photo/Norrie Montgomery
Though rumours floated around for months that the celebrity couple had separated, it wasn't until September that Jay Jay and Dom confirmed they had separated for a few months earlier this year. Jay Jay moved out, feeling a depressive episode coming on, on top of other issues. The two reunited in time to give her latest memoir a happy ending, though the book tour was cut short when Jay Jay had a second episode, forcing her to take time away from their show.
Gemma Flynn and Richie McCaw at the Chasing Great premiere. Photo/Norrie Montgomery
While the All Black great may have made the perfect candidate for EliteSingles.com, it wasn't through a dating site that McCaw met Gemma Flynn. In his documentary, Chasing Great, the pair revealed McCaw messaged her on Facebook to offer his condolences after a loss, though it took two weeks for Flynn to message him back! Things carried on from there, and now the golden sporting couple are set to get married.
