Toni Street is expecting her first child, in October. Photo / Supplied
Popular TVNZ presenter Toni Street is 15 weeks pregnant with her first baby, due in October, but she didn't expect the good news to be broken on-air by a colleague at the network.
Good Morning host Rod Cheeseman accidentally announced Street's private news on-air on Wednesday, but the Saturday Breakfast presenter, who has been filling in for Petra Bagust this week on Breakfast, has no hard feelings.
"Rod accidentally slipped it out in our live cross to Good Morning. He was absolutely mortified but I found it quite funny. We get on really well. All my friends and family already knew, so it wasn't really a big deal. Corin [Dann] knew, but he tried to act all surprised on TV, which was quite a laugh," Street said.
Named sexiest woman in last month's TV Guide Best on the Box Awards, Street married former North Harbour halfback Matt France at New Plymouth's Holy Trinity Church in 2009.
It will be the first child for the couple and Street says she will be looking to best friend and bridesmaid, TVNZ weathergirl Renee Wright, for advice.
"Her little man Leo will be 1 year old in September and I will be going to Renee for lots of support."
As for the celebrity trend of posing nude and baring her baby bump, Street says that's not on the cards. "I will definitely not be posing nude while pregnant! I'm trying to hide my bump as it is, but it's getting harder. The laptop on the [Breakfast] desk covers it nicely, but I said to Corin, 'No standing up!"'
The news of the pregnancy is a blessing for family-oriented Street and France, who would like three kids.
France's father, Steve, died of cancer 13 years ago, Street's teenage brother Stephen suffered a fatal farm bike accident in 2001, her twin brother Lance died of leukaemia when they were 18 months old, younger sister Tracy passed away shortly after she was born in 1986, and her father, Geoff, survived a heart attack two years ago.
FRYING ABOUT
After filming his final scene on the set of The Hobbit on Wednesday, Stephen Fry said it was emotional saying goodbye. The British actor, who has been in Wellington for the past few months, is set to leave New Zealand at the weekend.
"Got all emotional after shooting my final scene," Fry tweeted fans following a night shoot that wrapped at 4.30am.
Fry attracted global attention while staying in New Zealand when he caused controversy with his comments about broadband services. He also fearlessly plunged from Queenstown's Kawarau bridge in a triple bungy-jump and braved grocery shopping at a busy New World.
During a break in filming over Easter, Fry enjoyed the sunshine with fellow Hobbit actor Billy Connolly, with each taking spins in a World War I plane, believed to belong to Hobbit director and aviation enthusiast Sir Peter Jackson. "The oldest flying de Havilland in the world," Fry said.
Jackson reportedly has a replica plane-building company. The Vintage Aviator, based in Kilbirnie, builds replicas of World War I aircraft. Jackson is understood to own a 1912 BE2c de Havilland, which is likely to be on parade at the Anzac World War I air show on April 28 at Masterton's Hood Aerodrome.
NEWSROOM ARMOURY
While TVNZ is yet to announce a political editor for One News, despite nearly four months of Beehive revelations, The Diary understands rival TV3 is making plans to use Duncan Garner and Guyon Espiner in a live Budget special on May 24. As far as arsenals go, 3 News will be deploying the big guns.
Channel Ten's Ross Dagan, who takes the reins of the TVNZ newsroom on Monday, will have to stock up the One News artillery filling absent roles and building team morale.
Paul Patrick, TVNZ's editor of daily programmes, departs for Ten next week and joins former news boss Anthony Flannery in running the channel's news operations, including the recently created breakfast show with Paul Henry.
Henry, who made controversial headlines here with his views on female facial hair, Susan Boyle and the nationality of the former Governor-General, has disappointingly barely caused a contentious ripple across the ditch. Has Ten tamed him?
When Tyrell the cockatoo defecated on his suit during an interview in the Sydney studio, the former RadioLive shock jock didn't call on the cache of chancy wisecracks we're used to.
Even a chortling recounting on-air about an intoxicated lunch with TV co-stars and management - including Flannery - was hardly enough to raise a brow, let alone ratings.
"I got hopelessly drunk and management were there and I picked up a piece of food on my fork and stuck it into my cheek," Henry chuckled uncontrollably last week.
"It hurt, but I tried to pretend that I always do that. Like, it was in my repertoire of gags. Is the official phrase forking yourself?"
In the highly competitive world of television munitions, it's barely a discharge.
PEREZ PLUGS LADYHAWKE
Hollywood's self-proclaimed "queen of gossip", Perez Hilton, is a fan of Kiwi music.
He's promoted Kimbra, Zowie and the Kids of 88.
This week it was Ladyhawke's turn, with the influential online blogger plugging the songbird's single Sunday Drive.
"It's a classic Ladyhawke song - melodious, catchy, soft but still energetic," Hilton said.
Ladyhawke, aka Pip Brown, will perform two New Zealand shows for her upcoming tour on July 13 and 14.
Tickets went on sale yesterday.
TORY TIZZ OVER TOLLS
Mayor Len Brown is apparently keen to toll Auckland's existing motorways to generate billions of revenue for big transport projects and it has some centre-right councillors in a lather.
Cameron Brewer, chairman of the council's Business Advisory Panel, announced his business group supported motorway network tolling.
But his North Shore counterpart, George Wood, says it will put pressure on local roads as people opt not to use the motorways.
At the same time, Auckland Transport board member and council opposition leader Chris Fletcher seemingly went into hiding.
It has proved to be a good week for Len Brown to be away in China.