Suzanne Paul turns 70 on 16 November 2026, 35 years after she arrived in New Zealand from Wolverhampton with $18 and became the country’s “infomercial queen”. She is married to drummer Patrick Kuhtze, lives north of Auckland, and is celebrating the birthday with a “Cruise with Suze” sailing from Auckland on 19 December.
For anyone who grew up with “thousands of luminous spheres” on late-night TV, here is where Suzanne Paul is now, who she is married to, and how a sales demonstrator from the English Midlands became one of New Zealand’s most recognisable faces, told in the order it happened.
How old is Suzanne Paul?
Suzanne Paul is 69 and turns 70 on 16 November 2026. She was born Susan Barnes on 16 November 1956 in Wolverhampton, England, and grew up in the Whitmore Reans area. She has described her childhood as “very low-working class”; her mother left the family and she was raised by her father, who worked long hours in a factory. She left school at 15.
Suzanne Paul’s life in ten moments
- The 1970s and 1980s. She spent almost two decades as a sales demonstrator in the United Kingdom, selling products face to face.
- 1991. A stopover in Auckland turned into a move. She arrived with $18 and began presenting infomercials the same year.
- 1992. Natural Glow makeup and its “thousands of luminous spheres” line made her famous. The Massage Pillow and the Suzanne Clip followed.
- 1994. Her single Blue Monkey reached number 41 on the New Zealand singles chart for one week. In 1997 she covered Life Begins at 40.
- 1998 to 2003. She hosted Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? and Garage Sale, presented Second Honeymoon, sat on the How’s Life? panel and first went on Celebrity Treasure Island in 2003.
- 2004 and 2005. Her Rawaka Māori Village venture in Auckland closed within months owing more than $1 million, and she was declared bankrupt in 2005. She has spoken openly about it since, and says she paid back part of the debt.
- 2007. She won the third season of Dancing with the Stars with Stefano Olivieri, finishing the final with a broken rib.
- 2008 to 2011. Her memoir But Wait, There’s More came out in 2008, followed by a petite clothing range, a cameo in Outrageous Fortune and stage roles in Stepping Out and Dirty Dusting.
- 2021 to 2025. Guest spots on RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under and My Life Is Murder, a return to Celebrity Treasure Island in 2024, and the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand’s Scroll of Honour in 2025.
- 2026. The 70th birthday cruise, a podcast and a book in progress (more below).
Suzanne Paul’s husband Patrick Kuhtze
Suzanne Paul is married to Patrick Kuhtze, a drummer. The couple got engaged in March 2020 and planned to marry in October 2021, but the wedding was pushed back by the Covid-19 pandemic. They married on 30 October 2022. As of November 2025 they lived in a coastal home north of Auckland with their dog, Matty, Now to Love reported.
Suzanne Paul’s first husband and ex-husband
Kuhtze is her third husband. Her first marriage was to Dean Kilworth, whom she met at 40; that marriage ended in divorce, and for a time she used the name Suzanne Kilworth. She then married Duncan Wilson in 2005, and they divorced in 2016.
Does Suzanne Paul have children?
Suzanne Paul has not spoken publicly about having children, and none of the profiles we checked list any.
What is Suzanne Paul doing now?
She is busier at 69 than many people half her age. In November 2025 she launched the podcast Fork’s Sake with Ten Tenors singer Andrew Papas, who cooks for each guest. “Well, now I’ve got a podcast! It’s the same thing – just not on the telly,” she told Now to Love. She has also become the face of Chelsea Sugar, whose advice videos with her have taken off on TikTok, and she said she was halfway through writing a book about resilience and failure.
The big date is her 70th birthday cruise, “Cruise with Suze”, sailing from Auckland on 19 December 2026. She has also said she would love to go on Celebrity Traitors. “Everything I’ve done has led to something else,” she said.
Suzanne Paul’s Natural Glow and other famous products
| Product or project | Year | What it was |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Glow | 1992 | Makeup sold by infomercial, known for the “thousands of luminous spheres” line |
| Massage Pillow | 1990s | Infomercial product |
| Suzanne Clip | 1990s | Infomercial product |
| Blue Monkey | 1994 | Novelty single, number 41 in New Zealand |
| But Wait, There’s More | 2008 | Memoir |
| Suzanne Paul: Petite | 2009 | Clothing range for women under 5 ft 4 in |
| Fork’s Sake | 2025 | Podcast with Andrew Papas |
The NZ On Screen profile of Suzanne Paul lists her television credits from the 1990s onwards.
Frequently asked questions
Is Suzanne Paul married?
Yes. She married Patrick Kuhtze on 30 October 2022.
Where is Suzanne Paul from?
Wolverhampton in England. She moved to New Zealand in 1991.
What was Suzanne Paul's real name?
She was born Susan Barnes, and has also used the names Suzanne Kilworth and Suzanne Wilson during her marriages.
Did Suzanne Paul win Dancing with the Stars?
Yes. She won season three in 2007 with professional partner Stefano Olivieri.
Who are Suzanne Paul's parents?
Their names have not been made public. She has said her mother left when she was young and her father, a factory worker, raised her in Wolverhampton.
