The on-air relationship between ZM’s Bree Tomasel and Clint Roberts was a big secret when the pair came together.
They celebrated their fifth anniversary this week by 34-year-old Tomasel being challenged to get her honorary New Zealand citizenship by completing adventure challenges, including a Sky Tower climb, a harbour bridge bungy, and singing the national anthem at Eden Park.
“It’s been one hell of a challenging week, but also so much fun,” Tomasel tells Spy.
“I can’t believe I actually did the harbour bridge bungy on my own. Heights have always been my Achilles’ heel but once I was up there, I knew there was no turning back and I had to take a leap for New Zealand.”
Five years ago, things were covert as the pair came together to see if they had chemistry for a new show.
“It was all very hush-hush - our pairing. I was flown to Sydney to record a secret test show with Bree in a fancy hotel room,” says Roberts.
“A very powerful radio programmer sat in the corner and chuckled from time to time and must have liked something he heard, because five years later - here we are.”
Bree Tomasel and Clint Roberts. Photo / Supplied
Before that first date, Tomasel was working at a provincial station in NSW just outside of Sydney and got a call about the new Kiwi show.
“You want me? Why? The decision wasn’t a simple one for me - to leave everything I know and love and start completely from scratch in a different country,” Tomasel says.
“I knew it was right though after I met Clint and we hit it off pretty much straight away in that weird secret hotel room meeting.”
Now, the pair spend more than 40 hours a week working together and have bonded by challenging and taking the piss out of each other.
On top of that they have a weekly pub-night meeting together. The pair have travelled throughout Aotearoa and abroad. Roberts says their most memorable trip was chasing Channing Tatum in Los Angeles.
Bree Tomasel and Clint Roberts. Photo / Supplied
“Channing randomly followed Bree on Instagram, so we spent a week in a dodgy West Hollywood motel across the road from a man dressed as The Joker who had a massage table offering free rub downs.
“Did we find Channing Tatum? No. Did we find Jonah Hill by accident?? Yes! Did he talk to us? No.”
They both love overseas travel. Tomasel wants to see a Bree & Clint’s OE, and Roberts would like to see them go to Disneyland and the Rugby World Cup.
Tomasel is in Godzone to stay and within a year of being here she met her Kiwi partner, Sophia Gould.
“I have two dogs and we have plans to eventually buy a house here, depending on house prices . . .” says Tomasel.
“New Zealand has given me everything - the opportunity to be me and I love it here so there are no plans on going anywhere right now.”
Roberts, 36, has had two daughters in the past five years with wife Lucy and he and Tomasel say outside of work their families get along extremely well.
Tomasel and Roberts support each other with their other side projects. Roberts recently started a parenting podcast with Jordan Watson of How to Dad fame.
“I will do everything I can to support Bree on Celebrity Treasure Island [where she is a host]. Everything except appear on it . . . I like my food and bed too much for that,” says Roberts.
Tomasel adds: “Clint is super supportive of things I do outside the show - always encouraging me to take time off to see my family, or to film CTI. His attitude is always ‘we’ll make it work’. And I feel the same about all the amazing stuff he does outside of the show. The show is important but so is life outside of it and we support each other on that.”
It can’t be all smooth sailing, surely they have the odd thing that annoys the other?
“Five years ago, I would have said Bree’s farts in such a confined space, but to her credit, she has really reined them in. Perhaps a change in diet?” says Roberts.
