Hayley Holt (born 3 July 1980) is a New Zealand television presenter and former snowboarder. She is best known as a professional dancer on Dancing With the Stars and a sports news presenter on 1 News at 6 pm.
The presenter landed roles on The Crowd Goes Wild and Back Benches. She hosted breakfast shows on More FM and TVNZ. Holt made a brief foray into politics with the Green Party in 2016.
Hayley Holt | |
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Quick Facts | |
Name: | Hayley Doreen Holt |
Born: | 3 July 1980 (age 44 years old) |
Place of birth: | Auckland |
Nationality: | New Zealander |
Education: | Epsom Girls Grammar School |
Parents: | Murray (father), Robin (mother) |
Sibling: | Logan |
Occupation: | Television presenter, former snowboarder, former ballroom dancer |
Political party: | Green |
Partner: | Josh Tito |
Children: | 2 |
Early Life
Hayley Holt was born on 3 July 1980 in Auckland, New Zealand. She grew up with her mother, Robin, her father, Murray, and her brother, Logan, in the suburb of Epsom. She attended Epsom Girls Grammar School.
Growing up, Holt was a ballroom dancing champion since age seven. She and her brother had an ‘overscheduled and intense’ childhood. She attended drama lessons, auditions, swimming, and talent agencies and participated in sports.
Hayley had jazz dance lessons and studied with Candy Lane.
Career
Holt entered the Blackpool Rising Star Professional Ballroom Competition and the US Open Rising Star Professional Ballroom Competition.
In 2006, Hayley entered season two of Dancing with the Stars. She and her dance partner, Danyon Loader, left the competition in the semi-final. She partnered with Brendon Pongia in season three but couldn’t get past the semi-final.
In season four, Hayley returned as DJ Peter Urlich’s partner but left the competition in episode three. She entered season six of Strictly Come Dancing, partnering with Mark Foster. She had two boxing bouts in 2011.
Aside from ballroom dancing, Hayley has excelled in snowboarding, traveling the world, and competing at a top level.
In 2017, Holt ran for parliament as a Green Party Aotearoa candidate in Helensville.
Holt won Treasure Island: Pirates of the Pacific on TV2 as one of ‘The Others’ in 2007. She appeared on Shock Treatment on TV2 in 2008 and joined as a reporter and occasional presenter on The Crowd Goes Wild in 2009.
Hayley co-presented the television series Best Bits on TV One in 2013. She started hosting Breakfast alongside James Tame in 2018. She has interviewed notable personalities, including Jordan Peterson in 2019.
In August 2020, Holt joined 1 News at 6 pm as a sports presenter. She wrote the book Second Chances: Facing My Demons And Finding A Better Me in 2003.
Personal life
Hayley Holt started dating Josh Tito in 2020, who is ten years younger than her. She suffered the tragic loss of her stillborn son, Frankie, at seven months gestation in April 2020. Her little one’s ashes sit in a kete at her parent’s home.
Holt welcomed another son in July 2022. Josh proposed to her on Christmas Eve in 2022. The duo hadn’t planned on being a couple. Their feelings for one another grew during the first Covid lockdown when Josh joined Hayley at the Holt family home.
Hayley and Josh welcomed another baby boy, Kingston, in 2024. She shared her pregnancy news in February.