RADIO STAR FLYNNY'S SECRET STRUGGLE: 'IT WAS THE TOUGHEST TIME'

After 25 years on air, the DJ wasn’t getting any joy from his job

- Sophie Neville

When radio star Paul "Flynny" Flynn stepped away from the airwaves earlier this year, he told listeners he needed time to focus on his health. Two months on, the former More FM presenter is now ready to share the full story behind his decision, opening up to Woman's Day about his frightening battle with depression.

It’s been a rough few months, but I finally feel like I’m getting back to my old self,” says the much-loved broadcaster at the Auckland home he shares with wife Jo and their blended family.

Flynny says while he'd suffered from anxiety and depression in the past, this recent bout was the worst he'd ever felt.

After 25 years in commercial radio, the job he once adored had begun to lose its magic. He felt flat, disconnected and deeply burnt out.

“I felt yucky while I was on air, and being on air is one of my favourite things to do, you know?” he reveals. “I knew I wasn’t doing a good job and I felt like I was letting myself and other people down.”

And it wasn’t just at work where Flynny, who is dad to Jack, 19, Leo, 16, Mickey, 13, Alex, 10, from his first marriage, and stepdaughter Bella, eight, didn’t feel right. He was exhausted and was struggling to muster any joy or enthusiasm.