Broadcaster Ryan Bridge’s wedding bliss: ‘We’re here doing what used to seem impossible’

Ryan Bridge married his longtime partner Ferg. Photo / Robert Trathen

The star recalls his big day and how he’s making all his dreams come true.

Growing up, broadcaster Ryan Bridge could never allow himself to dream of one day saying “I do” to the person he loved.

As a teen, then in the closet before coming out as gay, a future involving marrying the person he loved was simply unobtainable and he thought it would be a secret that continued forever.

So when he heard the first bars of Chris Isaak’s cover of the Elvis hit Can’t Stop Falling in Love, and began to walk to the altar to marry his longtime partner Ferg in June, it was no surprise that the tears began to fall.

“I just cried and cried,” admits Ryan, 36. “I was a blubbering mess! Walking down the aisle, I was crying, and standing there saying my vows, I was crying. It was really emotional and overwhelming.

As a teen, the star thought marrying the person he loved was simply unobtainable. Photo / Robert Trathen

“All of a sudden, it hit me that what I never believed would happen, actually was happening. And the relief that we made it ... We’re here doing what used to seem impossible and can enjoy it.”

With 110 of their closest friends and family – including Ryan’s former colleagues Paddy Gower, Melissa Chan-Green and Tova O’Brien – watching on from the majestic Duke of Marlborough Hotel in Russell, their marriage signalled the start of a happy new chapter for the pair.

Holding hands and wiping away more tears – okay, just Ryan’s! – they exchanged vows promising to always support each other.

“We didn’t write any vows for each other because I find that a bit naff, but our good friend and celebrant, James Barr from Loveworks, wrote vows for us,” Ryan shares.

“James had done a deep-dive from when I had spoken to the Weekly about falling in love and little bits of our relationship, so he read that out at the ceremony too.”

Even though it is two weeks since the wedding when the Weekly catches up with Ryan, he sheepishly admits to being a bit vague about the finer details of the day and texts to ask his husband, 37 – who prefers to stay out of the limelight – to confirm their wedding songs. What doesn’t need clarification, though, is how much of a “bloody great party” it was and the joy of committing to the man he loves on June 27.

It was also somewhat of a “last hurrah” for the Newshub family before the network closed.

More than a hundred of the couple's closest friends and family were watching on from the majestic Duke of Marlborough Hotel in Russell. Photo / NZ Woman's Weekly

“Ferg and I agreed that we needed to make it a damn good celebration because my siblings, who are straight and not married yet, have currently provided grandkids for our parents but not a wedding.

“So it was like, ‘This is our one thing we can offer’ and I think we achieved that. The Duke of Marlborough’s slogan is ‘Serving rascals and reprobates since 1827′ – yep, that’s us!”

The picture-perfect day began with the pair taking a quiet morning walk along the stunning shore of the Russell waterfront, before heading off separately to get ready.

“We had the hair and make-up artists from TV3, Katie Fell and Josie Wignall, with us, so being with them felt like just before an AM show. They were good at calming my nerves,” he says.

Then, taking the arm of his proud mum Mary, while Ferg stood next to him holding his mum Viv’s arm, they all walked down the stairs to the aisle. After giving their mothers a kiss on the cheek, they joined hands to walk to the altar together.

“It was just beautiful,” says Ryan, who was also supported by his three best men – former news anchor Mike McRoberts, younger brother Sean and his best friend from high school, Chris. “We didn’t want one of us to be ‘given away’ and have the other one be like the groom, waiting there.”

Thanks to the impeccable styling of his handsome beau, Ryan wore a white tuxedo from Crane Brothers, while Ferg wore an ensemble from Kiwi designers World.

Bridesmaids, including Ferg’s sister, wore silver-sequinned dresses that added to the day being reminiscent of a mid-winter ball.

“As soon as we said ‘I do’ and had a kiss, our bridal party had secretly organised to burst into song, singing We Are Family. Mike – never shy of stealing a moment! – kicked it off and everyone else joined in.

“Ferg’s sister, who’s amazingly talented, was playing the baby grand piano at the Duke, while we signed the registry on top of the piano.”

The day culminated in a fun-filled reception that was emceed by Mike, who welcomed guests with a short mihi whakatau (welcome speech, similar to a pōwhiri, but less formal).

“And then he basically roasted me in his speech for a good 10 minutes,” laughs Ryan. “He was ruthless but hilarious!

“Mike’s like US President Joe Biden in that he repeats the same joke multiple times. He kept saying, ‘As soon as they announced your new current affairs show, the station collapsed.’ My retort was, ‘Well, the minute I came off-air, the whole thing fell over!’

“Then my younger brother Sean spoke. He did a beautiful job and was so nervous. Beforehand, he said he was scared to speak in front of all these ‘flash TV and radio people’.

“He, like me, just cried, so then everybody was crying – which we get from our mum, who cries at watching a bank ad!”

One of the most moving moments of the day was when Ryan’s 87-year-old grandmother, Pam, made a speech.

As a teenager, Waikanae-born Ryan would often go and stay with his much-loved grandma on the weekends, and it’s her passion for politics that he credits for igniting his own career path into political journalism.

“Grandma spoke about me growing up as a kid, and how happy she was to be there, and how much she loved me and Ferg. She got a standing ovation from everyone.”

The newlyweds then danced the night away in a celebration both are calling “the best day of our lives”.

The only loved one who didn’t make it to the wedding was the couple’s beagle dog Fanny. Ryan explains, “There are a lot of native birds in Russell and we didn’t want any incidents!”

Ryan says marriage was always something that was important to his partner. But for himself, it wasn’t so much top-of-mind. Photo / Robert Trathen

Reflecting on their love story, Ryan says marriage was always something that was important to Ferg, who works in construction. But for himself, it wasn’t so much top-of-mind.

“Thank God Ferg brought it up,” he enthuses. “I mean, he never pressured me into it – I just knew that it was something he wanted.” (Ryan proposed on a weekend camping trip last year.)

“Now that I’ve done it, I couldn’t imagine it any other way,” beams the former TV breakfast host. “Marriage elevates what you have already. For a long time, we wouldn’t have been able to get married. And now I feel totally secure and on the same page, and we are so in love with one another.”

Before the wedding, they enjoyed a month-long honeymoon in Europe – taking in the sights of London, Berlin and Greece – due to Ryan starting his new role hosting Newstalk ZB’s 5am-6am Early Edition show a week after their nuptials.

When he chats with the Weekly, Ryan has been in his new role and waking at 2.40am. He says it’s been a rollercoaster but is loving learning the radio ropes again as it’s been three years since he was a host on (now defunct station) Magic Talk.

“After the wedding, I went into NZME [owners of Newstalk ZB] and shadowed Breakfast host Mike Hosking, who’s been doing Early Edition after taking over from his wife Kate Hawkesby.

“I was a little bit nervous about meeting Mike for the first time, but he was lovely. He’s not into small talk, which suits me just fine. I said to him, ‘Do you have five minutes to talk through a few things?’ and he said, ‘Yes, right, let’s go.’

“He was really generous with advice. Then I reached out to Kate, who did the role for nearly five years, so she knows the format and the audience inside out. We spoke on the phone and she let me pick her brains, so I’ve felt warmly welcomed and supported.”

He likens the one-hour show to being “news with a bit of sass”.

He explains, “We have got all the international news from overnight, so there’s no shortage of fascinating stories and we get to tell everyone about them first. Every morning, it’s turned into a 35-minute podcast if people want to listen later on.”

Ryan was approached to do a cameo appearance as a news presenter on Madam. Photo / NZ Woman's Weekly

With Mike being a well-known “clean freak” and Ryan confessing to being messy, how has that gone so far?

“I’m just taking my paper and my lemon water in with me. How much damage can I do in one hour? But in the corner, there’s this Dyson vacuum cleaner just staring at me!”

When Ryan said goodbye to AM in December, he was preparing to launch his 7pm current affairs show Bridge early this year before Warner Bros. Discovery announced job cuts.

“Then it was all over for me in February,” he says. “I moved on quite quickly in my mind though, because I wasn’t going into the office any more.”

However, Ryan isn’t gone completely from our screens. While still working on AM, Ryan was approached to do a cameo appearance as a news presenter on new TV comedy series Madam (episodes screen on ThreeNow), starring Rachel Griffiths and Martin Henderson.

“I was a bit scared because I haven’t done any acting before or been on a movie set,” he shares. “But it was so fun, and the cast and crew were all really cool.”

Lead actor Rachel plays McKenzie Leigh, who, faced with a philandering husband and debt, opens a brothel in small-town New Zealand to provide for her family.

“It’s really funny,” says Ryan. “My part is in episode five, where I do a live cross, interviewing people protesting about a brothel in their neighbourhood.

“My interactions with the crowd ended up being spliced with a disturbing sex scene though,” he laughs. “There’s your headline, ‘Former AM host makes his X-rated TV return!’”