ZM radio star Bree Tomasel talks Taskmaster NZ and mental health

ZM host Bree Tomasel is trading the anarchy of radio for the chaos of the latest season of the comedy show Taskmaster NZ. Photo / Michele Hyslop

Radio and reality TV star Bree Tomasel always imagined that, by her mid-30s, she’d have life all figured out. And from the outside, it certainly looks like she does. With a brilliant broadcasting career, a loving partner and a bestselling book under her belt, the talented funnywoman seems to be living the dream. But behind the laughs and high-energy personality, she’s the first to admit her mental health is still a work in progress.

“I used to think there’d be a point where everything just clicked,” she says. “But I’ve learned my mental health isn’t something I’ll ever be able to ‘fix’. Some weeks are great and others are a bit of a slog. The truth is, I’m still figuring things out and I’ve realised that’s okay.”

We’re catching up with the Celebrity Treasure Island host at the Auckland home she shares with partner Sophia, a neonatal nurse, and their two dogs, Meryl Streep and Whitney Houston.

When we visit, rescue pup Meryl is nursing a sore tail from some over-vigorous wagging, and Bree is wiping blood marks from the wall.

“She’s so happy, she’s caused actual damage to herself, can you believe it?” says Bree, who was astonished to learn there’s a name for what Meryl is going through. “It’s called happy tail syndrome, I shit you not.”

While Bree, 36, would be quite content chatting about her beloved pooches all day, she’s talking to us today about joining the cast of Taskmaster NZ, the comedy show hosted by TV veteran Jeremy Wells and his loyal assistant Paul Williams.

As a longtime fan of the show, Bree says being asked to take part felt like a dream come true.

“I’ve watched Taskmaster since it started pretty much. I just love the concept of the show – it’s chaotic, hilarious and so much fun. The whole time I was there, I kept saying, ‘I can’t believe I’m here, this is so cool!’”

Bree says being asked to take part in Taskmaster NZ felt like a dream come true. Photo / Woman's Day

But she admits she also felt hugely nervous about competing alongside some of this country’s funniest people, including acclaimed comedian, actor and writer Pax Assadi, the hilarious Educators star and creator Jackie van Beek, rising comedy force Jack Ansett, plus writer, comedian and TV star Alice Snedden. Bree might make listeners laugh every day on radio, but this felt like an extra dose of pressure.

“It felt really overwhelming and daunting because, unlike the other contestants, I’m not actually a comedian. So I had major impostor syndrome. Not only that – the show is psychological warfare.

“You literally turn up on set, they put you into a room by yourself, then all of a sudden, you’re on camera and it’s all go. You’re like, ‘Oh, shit! Okay, now I have to be funny.’”

But she says the hardest part was the realisation that the camera operators and people on set are trained to keep straight faces.

“So there you are, acting like a real dick and trying to be as funny as you can, and no one can even chuck you a smile. It’s brutal and challenging – but in the best way possible.”

Entertaining people is what Bree does best. After seven years hosting ZM’s Drive Show alongside Clint Roberts, she loves her job as much as she did when she began.

She describes her work team as like a little family, and she says their support and understanding help as she navigates life’s ups and downs.

This winter, she has been battling anxiety and has had to call on all her reserves to find a way through. She says exercise is the best medicine by far, with a bit of therapy thrown in for good measure.

Bree's memoir saw her open up about her lifelong battle with mental health, an ADHD diagnosis. Photo / Michele Hyslop

“The last thing I want to do is go sweat it up and look like shit in front of strangers at the gym. But I’ve just got to suck that up because it makes such a difference to how I feel.

“I’ve reached a point in my life where I know exercise needs to be a priority. It needs to happen every day and not just fall to the wayside when life is busy, it’s cold outside or whatever.”

It’s almost a year since her memoir Unapologetically Me was published. The moving book saw Bree open up about her lifelong battle with mental health, an ADHD diagnosis, her journey coming out as queer in a conservative Catholic family, plus the terrifying home invasion that changed her life as a child.

While it was an exhausting process writing the book, Bree says she’s amazed by the feedback she continues to receive from readers. Every week, people get in contact to talk about the parts that touched or inspired them.

“It still overwhelms me a little that I put myself out there so much and aired so much dirty laundry! But to be honest, it’s been worth it because of the number of people who say the book has helped them and made them feel seen or understood. I just focus on that when I start panicking how much people now know about me!”

Bree and Sophia are hoping to become parents one day. Photo / Michele Hyslop

However, it’s connecting with people that drives her.

Recently, she took to the airwaves to ask if any businesses might like to sponsor her for a charity football match raising money for multiple sclerosis. She was inundated with offers of help.

“It’s those moments that remind me why I love what I do so much,” she smiles. “People are so good and so lovely, and every week we get to connect with other humans. It’s why I love radio so much.”

On the home front, Bree and Sophia might be kept busy by their two pooches, but they’re also hoping to become parents one day.

As a same-sex couple, the path to motherhood is marked by huge expense, red tape and medical intervention, but Bree says they’re “cautiously hopeful” about what the future might hold.

“We’d both love to be mums. But getting there is a long, winding brick road with hurdles and barricades at every turn. Just call me Dorothy.”

And she reveals that, while the couple would love to get married, forking out thousands for one day isn’t quite so appealing.

“We do love a party, but we’d also quite like a new kitchen too!”

Taskmaster NZ premieres Monday 18 August at 7.30pm on TVNZ 2, continues Tuesday at 7.30pm and streams on TVNZ+.