Hilary Barry is 56 and turns 57 on 4 December 2026. She has been married to teacher Mike Barry since the late 1990s, they have two adult sons, Finn and Ned, and she still co-hosts TVNZ’s Seven Sharp with Jeremy Wells, a job she started in February 2018.
For someone who has been on New Zealand screens for three decades, Barry keeps her family remarkably low-key. She has joked that her husband is “the elusive Mr B”, and when she disappears from the Seven Sharp couch for a few nights, the internet tends to fill the gap with guesses. Here is what she has actually said, in the order people search for it.
1. Who is Hilary Barry married to?
Her husband is Mike Barry, a teacher and the son of former All Black Kevin Barry, which makes Liam Barry her brother-in-law. Barry was born Hilary Ann Pankhurst, so her maiden name is Pankhurst. She counts suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst as a great-great-great aunt.
In a 2019 interview she said she had been married for 21 years, which puts the wedding around 1998. He rarely appears in public, hence the “elusive Mr B” line, and photos of him are scarce.
Is Hilary Barry still married?
Yes, as far as anything she has said publicly. When she was off air for a stretch, the NZ Herald reported that she had been away “marking a significant milestone in my favourite person’s life”. She added, “He loves a good hike so that’s what we did.”
2. Hilary Barry’s sons and how old they are
Barry has two sons, Finn and Ned. In September 2019, she told Now to Love that Finn was 19 and already at university and Ned was 17. That makes them roughly 26 and 24 in 2026. She does not have a daughter.
On the empty nest she said, “Letting them go and conquer the world in their own way is a really cool thing.” Her eldest son also surprised her in May 2026 with a Mother’s Day dinner of plant-based hemp chicken. “The hemp chicken was actually delicious and utterly unexpected,” she wrote, as 1News reported.
3. How old is Hilary Barry?
Hilary Barry was born on 4 December 1969, so she is 56 as of October 2026 and turns 57 this December. Her height has not been published.
4. Where did Hilary Barry grow up?
She went to school in Wellington, at Queen Margaret College from 1980 to 1987, where she was head girl in her final year. She then completed a BA in linguistics at Victoria University of Wellington and a journalism certificate.
5. Her road from Wairarapa radio to Seven Sharp
| Years | Role |
|---|---|
| Start of career | Reporter at Radio 89.3 Today FM (now More FM Wairarapa), then sole-charge reporter at RNZ’s Masterton office |
| 1993–2003 | Morning newsreader on More FM |
| From 1993 | TV3 reporter in Christchurch, then Auckland; weekend 3 News presenter for six years |
| 2005–2016 | Weeknight 3 News (later Newshub) co-anchor with Mike McRoberts |
| 2009–2016 | Breakfast news anchor on RadioLIVE |
| 2015–2016 | News anchor on the Paul Henry show |
| Sept 2016–Jan 2018 | Co-host of TVNZ’s Breakfast with Jack Tame |
| 2018–now | Co-host of Seven Sharp (often written 7 Sharp) with Jeremy Wells |
Her move from MediaWorks in 2016 was one of the biggest presenter shifts of that decade. She resigned in April and her last day was 27 May 2016. On Seven Sharp she replaced Mike Hosking and Toni Street, who left at the end of 2017. Along the way she has won Best News or Current Affairs Presenter (2011 and 2019) and been named Best Newsreader at the NZ Radio Awards five times.
6. Hilary Barry and Jeremy Wells
The pairing of a former 3 News anchor with the man behind Eating Media Lunch drew a rise in complaints when it began in 2018, but the double act has lasted more than eight years. TVNZ’s 1News profile lists her as a co-host of the show and says she has worked at TVNZ since 2016. Searches for “Hilary Barry Taskmaster” are about Wells, who hosts Taskmaster NZ. Barry has not been the host.
7. Hilary Barry and Oprah
Barry interviewed Oprah Winfrey for TV3 in 2015, and a decade later she was picked to moderate Winfrey’s live Oprah, in Conversation show at Auckland’s Civic theatre in December 2025. “There will be a couple of thousand people there and that adds a level of pressure that I’m not used to,” she told 1News when the booking was announced.
Why is Hilary Barry not on 7 Sharp tonight?
Like any presenter she takes leave, and fill-in hosts cover. Some absences have had simple explanations she shared herself, such as the hike to mark a milestone for her “favourite person”. She has also written about a two-week Africa-by-rail trip on the Viva Expedition through South Africa and Zimbabwe, saying “I’m a person who lives her life at 100 miles an hour.” We do not repeat speculation about absences she has not explained.
Frequently asked questions
What does Hilary Barry's husband do?
Mike Barry is a teacher. He is the son of former All Black Kevin Barry.
Does Hilary Barry have children?
Yes, two sons, Finn and Ned, both now in their mid-20s.
What was Hilary Barry's maiden name?
Pankhurst. She was born Hilary Ann Pankhurst.
When is Hilary Barry's birthday?
4 December. She was born in 1969.
Is Hilary Barry leaving 7 Sharp?
Neither she nor TVNZ has announced that she is leaving, as of October 2026.
