When Polly “PJ” Harding made the decision to quit her high-profile radio gig in Australia and return to Aotearoa, she knew she was making a bold call.
"On paper, I had the dream job in Melbourne," she tells Woman's Day. “We were on billboards, which was surreal, and it was very high-adrenaline and fast-paced, but I always knew I was going to come back to New Zealand."
There were some major factors at play when PJ moved home in April last year - her father had died of cancer in 2019, the long lockdowns in Victoria had taken a toll and she'd been apart from her boyfriend, Brendan “BJ” Campbell, for months.
Now, a year later, she's happily ensconced in the Wairarapa, her boyfriend is now her fiancé and the pair are expecting their first child. So PJ's big move has definitely paid off, even if she had to read headlines about leaving her career “at the top of her game”.
Smiling, she insists, “I really have no regrets about coming back. There have been some very tough moments, but I had to listen to that voice inside my head."
Indeed, when it comes to making big changes, PJ has some experience. She and her co-host Jason Hawkins' show Jase & PJ was such a ratings success in New Zealand, they were moved across the ditch in early 2018.
This story is from the May 9, 2022 edition of Woman’s Day Magazine NZ.
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This story is from the May 9, 2022 edition of Woman’s Day Magazine NZ.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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