"My person just happens to be that lovely lady on the television and radio, who arrives giggling yet credible in our homes morning and night."
McNeil details how she idolised Barry as a cadet journalist, and then became close friends with her when she started at TV3.
McNeil said she broke the news of her first pregnancy to an underwear-clad Barry in her dressing room. Barry helped her choose outfits that concealed her baby bump until McNeil was ready to reveal her news.
But McNeil also warns viewers to keep Barry's exit from TV3 "in perspective".
"No, she hasn't died. Nor, I pray, is she retiring," she writes.
"We need to collect ourselves, and take a breath. When Hilary Barry hangs up her ear piece at TV3 for the final time, we'll all be okay."
Barry's departure, revealed by the Herald on April 29, is the second high-profile casualty at TV3 in the past year after John Campbell left last May when his show Campbell Live was dumped.
Speculation she is heading to TVNZ hasn't been confirmed. In a statement, Barry said she was "looking forward to recharging my batteries and spending more time with my family".