The Diary: Swiss entertainer steals TV presenter's heart

Greg Boyed met singer songwriter Caroline Chevin when she visited the country earlier this year.

Greg Boyed secretly weds Caroline Chevin in her home country.

TVNZ presenter Greg Boyed, who is filling in on Breakfast this week, secretly married glamorous Swiss singer songwriter Caroline Chevin in an intimate ceremony in her homeland.

The groom, who prefers to keep his personal life schtum, has been showing private photos of his wedding day to workplace colleagues, who were surprised by the secret nuptials.

"He said he was going on a two-week holiday to Switzerland, but we never guessed he'd come home married," said a delighted TVNZ friend. "We're very happy for Greg. It's such a romantic story."

Boyed had been romantically linked to TV3 news reporter Amanda Gillies, with whom he split last year.

Chevin, a well-known singer songwriter in her native Switzerland, is understood to have arrived in the country this week to see her new husband. They have been maintaining a long-distance relationship for the past couple of weeks, sharing messages on Twitter.

Chevin posted pictures from London earlier this week.

Boyed, who is proudly wearing a wedding band, did not want to comment on the nuptials. He is aware the wedding has caught colleagues by surprise.

It is not clear whether he will stay in New Zealand with TVNZ or relocate to Europe. Those details are still to be determined.

The Diary understands the couple met in New Zealand when Chevin visited earlier this year. She posted photos of her Kiwi trip on Instagram, including a copy of The Great NZ Song Book.

Her Wikipedia page says she is signed to Sony Music and released her third studio album last year.

Boyed, an accomplished muso who sings in a pub band with TVNZ political editor Corin Dann, attended the Stars of Sound concert in Murten, Switzerland last month where Chevin opened for headline act Canadian Bryan Adams.

"Amazing," he wrote of his beloved on stage.

The popular news anchor has followed his heart, but he will be sorely missed from TVNZ if he follows his wife offshore.

The Ridges II a no-go

Young Shortland Street star KJ Apa, who is best friends with Sally and Matthew Ridge's son Boston, will not appear on a new reality television show pitched by Sally Ridge.

Apa approached South Pacific Pictures, makers of Shortland St, about the possibility of a cameo role but was rebuffed because the long-running soap is on rival TV2, not TV3, a South Pacific rep told The Diary.

A TV3 exec said Sally Ridge pitched a new show but there are no plans by the network to pick it up.

"We were approached about a show but I don't think we would do another Ridge reality show again," said MediaWorks programming director Mark Caulton. Sally Ridge and her daughter, Jaime, starred in The Ridges, which screened on TV3 in 2012.

Liz Delaney, Sally Ridge's agent, said "discussions were held a few months ago but they never went anywhere".

Ridge is looking at various money-making ventures, her rep said.

She has been ordered to pay more than $100,000 in legal costs to her ex-partner Adam Parore after losing her High Court legal battle to gain half of his business. Ridge appealed but stumbled after she failed to pay $5880 as security for costs.

Parore's company Small Business Accounting filed bankruptcy proceedings on Ridge to enforce the costs award.

Hunkin returns to APN fold

One News reporter Joanna Hunkin has quit to take up a new position next month as head of entertainment for APN New Zealand Media. The former TimeOut writer has come back to the APN fold. She will lead a number of projects APN is planning in the entertainment area, including new digital and video offerings.