Paul Henry thanks Kiwis for 'touching' messages after mother's death

  • 14/12/2016
Paul Henry and his mother Olive (NZ Women's Weekly)
Paul Henry and his mother Olive (NZ Women's Weekly)

Paul Henry took a moment to thank the Kiwis who sent condolences following the death of his mother, Olive Mary Christine Hopes, on Monday.

"I just very quickly wanted to thank you very very much, all of the people who have so kindly sent in their kind thoughts and their condolences at the loss of my mother," he said having returned to the show for the first time since her death.

"Thank you so much for that, it was really touching."

Henry returned to his show on Wednesday, after two days bereavement. He called Olive his "best friend" in a 2013 article in NZ Women's Weekly and would often feature her on his shows.

"New Zealanders really fell in love with Olive when she decided to leap off the Sky Tower to mark her 79th birthday. Of course, her son documented it on television," says Sarah Bristow, executive producer of Paul Henry's morning show.

"As Paul said, she took 79 years to show her daredevil side - and the audience was just in awe of her adventurous spirit."

Olive will be dearly missed by Paul and his three daughters - Lucy, Sophie and Bella, who were exceptionally close to their Nan.

Newshub.