News | Entertainment
7 Jan 2026 7:03
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Gail Porter's daughter is "more like a mother" to her

    The 54-year-old presenter - who has 22-year-old Honey with ex-husband Dan Hipgrave - is always open with her child about the ups and downs she's experienced in her life and while she can behave like a "big child", her offspring keeps her on the right path.


    Gail exclusively told BANG Showbiz: "I share everything with Honey. There are no secrets at all. And she is a bit more like a mother to me.

    "I'll go, 'Yay. Let's go do this.' She went, 'I don't think so, Mum.' You go, 'Oh, right, OK, sorry.'

    "So she still thinks I'm a big child at heart. We've talked about everything, and I think that's really important. I just like her to know that I'm there, I'm not going to judge her. She's super great."

    Although Gail and Honey have a "lovely relationship", the former Top of the Pops host admitted her daughter likes to have some space and doesn't enjoy staying with her.

    She said: "Honey's 22 now, working, has a lovely boyfriend, and comes to stay at my house whenever she feels like it.

    "She said, 'It's quite annoying staying with you.' And I was like, 'Well, hang on a minute. You're not paying any rent. That's really good, isn't it? No.' I'm not cool enough!

    "But no, it's great. We've got a lovely relationship. She's a friend, and I'm very fortunate because I do miss my mom. I lost my mom when she was 60, so it was a long time ago.

    And Gail is grateful her daughter is much more "level-headed" than she ever was.

    She said: "She's pretty level-headed. I see shiny things and I'm off. I'm like, 'Oh, let's do this. Let's do that.' She's very sensible with no, pros and cons - it's a bit Ab Fab. I'm like Edina going, 'Woo hoo!'

    "I get very excited about nothing."

    Gail makes light of her experiences of depression and being sectioned in her stand-up comedy and she's found it has made people more "comfortable" talking to her about her difficulties.

    She said: "When you go through things like being sectioned, I had no one to talk to about it, and no one had gone through it - well, I didn't think anybody had gone through it.

    "And then when I started making jokes about it, it made people more comfortable talking to me about it, going, 'Oh, actually, what was it like?'

    "And then when I brought it up in my stand-up, I started off going, 'Hands up, who's been sectioned?'

    "Usually people go, 'What?' But then this one woman went, 'Me!' And I went, 'Oh, excellent.' She went, 'Seven times.' It's the number of people who actually get a conversation out of it."

    © 2026 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     07 Jan: Mel Gibson has split from Rosalind Ross
     07 Jan: Macaulay Culkin sets "certain ground rules" for his fan interactions
     06 Jan: George Clooney has "rediscovered" his love of acting
     06 Jan: Denise Richards and her estranged husband, Aaron Phypers, have been evicted from their Los Angeles home
     06 Jan: Aled Jones "didn't know" all of Walking in the Air when he went to record it
     06 Jan: Fatboy Slim "doggedly" sticks to Hawaiian shirts
     06 Jan: Pat McGrath believes make-up is a "language of feeling"
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    It's au revoir for AJ Lam after the upcoming Super Rugby season More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    Australian video game retailer EB Games is proposing to shut all its New Zealand branches More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Mel Gibson has split from Rosalind Ross 6:53

    Cricket:
    Australia have taken control of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test after a dominant third day with the bat at the SCG 6:36

    Entertainment:
    Macaulay Culkin sets "certain ground rules" for his fan interactions 6:23

    Law and Order:
    Search teams are bringing out a specialised radio device - in the hunt for tramper Connor Purvis, who's been missing for six days in the Southern Alps 6:17

    Business:
    Australian video game retailer EB Games is proposing to shut all its New Zealand branches 5:47

    Law and Order:
    What are Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores alleged to have done? 22:17

    Cricket:
    The Auckland Hearts are struggling to mount a sizeable total in their women's Super Smash T20 against the Sparks on Eden Park's outer oval 21:57

    Entertainment:
    George Clooney has "rediscovered" his love of acting 21:53

    Entertainment:
    Denise Richards and her estranged husband, Aaron Phypers, have been evicted from their Los Angeles home 21:23

    Environment:
    Construction's underway on new flood resilience for a road in Hawke's Bay's Omahu 21:17


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2026 New Zealand City Ltd