Simon's silver lining 'WE'LL ALWAYS BE HERE FOR YOU, DAD'

Still grieving the loss of his beloved wife Jodi, the radio star's daughters have made a pact to have his back

- Fleur Guthrie

It wasn't until they were older that Simon Barnett's four daughters appreciated that their sensitive, fun-loving and emotionallyattuned father was born to be a "Girl Dad".

They won't lie - his ponytail skills weren't great. But he'd cry watching every Disney princess film, would dress up in a pink pinny and clip on some sparkly earrings to have his nails painted, while loudly singing along to Taylor Swift or Justin Bieber hits.

It's not that he didn't try to show his adoring little girls his tough, alpha male side now and again.

Once, on a family trip to Australia's Gold Coast, Simon insisted on taking daughter Sophie on the Tower of Terror ride, even though wife Jodi warned him she was far too young and would likely freak out. Simon didn't listen.

"So we went and I cried and screamed the entire time," Sophie recalls. "As we got off the ride, Mum came running over, asking, 'Did Soph love it?!' Dad panicked, shoved me into a nearby bush and whispered, 'I'll buy you an ice cream if you stop crying! Mum can't see you cry!""

Family has always been the 58-year-old broadcaster's whole world.

Nothing comes close to his greatest source of pride – his 32-year marriage to Jodi and raising their daughters, doctors Sammi, 31, and Isabella, 26, speech pathologist Sophie, 29, and software developer Lily, 25. They’re all incredibly close-knit and live within 300 metres of each other in Christchurch.

After Jodi died aged 61, following a “brutal” six-year battle with brain cancer in October 2023, the Barnett sisters say their dad has stepped into that gap in every way possible. If Simon was the backbone of the family, Jodi was the heart.

“There are moments we feel overwhelmed by our loss, especially when I see my kids missing out on knowing Mum,” says Sophie. “But even in that sadness, we feel so incredibly blessed to have Dad.