Latest news with #TheLivingRoom
Sky News AU
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Channel 10 presenter Barry Du Bois reveals how he beat doctors' grim prediction by 16 years as he opens up about cancer journey
Channel 10 star Barry Du Bois has revealed an early blood test is "one of the reasons" he believes he is still alive, 16 years after he was given a grim health prediction upon being diagnosed with cancer. The former The Living Room co-host was diagnosed with solitary plasmacytoma in 2010, which is a rare form of blood cancer. The diagnosis later developed to myeloma, an incurable cancer that develops in plasma cells and attacks bone marrow. Du Bois was given a heart-wrenching prognosis of just three months to live but more than 15 years on, the 64-year-old beloved TV presenter has continued to defy the odds. Speaking to Gold 101.7 hosts Brendan Jones and Amanda Keller on Wednesday, Du Bois described his disbelief upon hearing his initial diagnosis. "It was a real shock. But spoiler alert, I don't have to tell you I'm still here," the expert builder and gardener said. Du Bois' interview comes ahead of Men's Health Week, which takes place between June 9 and 15 to cast a spotlight on men's health challenges and the importance of raising awareness. "There's still a stigma, there always will be. The 'alpha male' thing - 'yeah I'll be right, I'll be ok,'" Du Bois said. The father of two stressed the importance of early detection and getting a blood test if something does not feel right, saying it was "one of the things" that saved him. "If you're not feeling that well physically, get it checked out. Get that blood test. An early blood test is one of the reasons why I am here 16 years later," Du Bois told the radio show. "If I hadn't have taken it up, maybe three months later that would have happened, but the early detection is one of the things that saved me. "Be curious. I always say, think of how you can do things better and be aware of who's around you. If you're unsure about the health of someone else, ask them, especially with mental health." Du Bois became emotional as he spoke about his twins Arabella and Bennett, who turn 13 years old this week, and that he was extremely grateful to see his kids achieve such a significant milestone. Keller commended Du Bois for his positive mindset. "Even in the darkest times for you, you've always said you're the luckiest man alive. Your attitude has played such a big part in your survival," she said. Du Bois said mindfulness, self-belief and connection form a "big part" of a person's general health. "People will give up on you, but if you don't give up on yourself, you'll stay here forever," the TV presenter said. "We're all heading to the same spot, but it's how you live every day." Du Bois learned his cancer had returned while filming Channel 10's The Living Room, which he co-hosted with Keller, Aussie vet Chris Brown and prominent chef Miguel Maestre.
West Australian
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Barry Du Bois: Aussie TV presenter reveals heartbreaking moment he was given ‘three months to live'
TV presenter Barry Du Bois has opened up about his ongoing battle with cancer, revealing in a moving letter that a doctor once told him he only had 'three months to live'. Du Bois detailed the emotional moment he was sitting in a cold consultation room at St Vincent's Hospital, with his wife by his side, after ongoing a series of scans and biopsies. 'A doctor who had known me for only a few hours looked me in the eye and told me I had three months to live,' he wrote in an essay published by the Herald Sun . He said there were three doctors in the room when he heard the crushing news, but bravely told them, 'Thanks for your advice, but I'm not interested in that, and I'd rather you left the room.' 'You might not know the kind of will I have to live, but if you do your job, I'll do the rest.' While that doctor's prognosis turned out to be wrong, Du Bois continues to live with Multiple Myleoma, an incurable type of blood cancer that affects the immune system and attacks the bone marrow. In the letter, Du Bois recalled other times in his life where he has had to face 'heavy curve balls'. He had previously fallen 14m off a roof, leaving him with a broken back and shattered leg, and later went through years of failed fertility treatment with his wife, Leonie, who was diagnosed with cervical cancer just two weeks after a miscarriage on their 12th round of IVF. 'When I got my diagnosis – incurable cancer, three months to live – I didn't fall apart.. I didn't make peace with that prognosis,' the Living Room presenter said. 'I knew that from leaning into the previous adversities of life I had the resilience to give the fight of my life.' Du Bois first appeared on television screens in 2011 as a contestant on a renovating series before becoming a co-host on The Living Room, Amanda Keller, Dr Chris Brown and Miguel Maestre. In 2012, Du Bois and Leonie welcomed two twins via surrogacy, calling it the most 'extraordinary moment' of his life. 'They are the reason I keep fighting, the reason I stay strong, the reason I smile every morning.'
Perth Now
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Aussie TV star pens letter after given three months to live
TV presenter Barry Du Bois has opened up about his ongoing battle with cancer, revealing in a moving letter that a doctor once told him he only had 'three months to live'. Du Bois detailed the emotional moment he was sitting in a cold consultation room at St Vincent's Hospital, with his wife by his side, after ongoing a series of scans and biopsies. 'A doctor who had known me for only a few hours looked me in the eye and told me I had three months to live,' he wrote in an essay published by the Herald Sun. He said there were three doctors in the room when he heard the crushing news, but bravely told them, 'Thanks for your advice, but I'm not interested in that, and I'd rather you left the room.' 'You might not know the kind of will I have to live, but if you do your job, I'll do the rest.' While that doctor's prognosis turned out to be wrong, Du Bois continues to live with Multiple Myleoma, an incurable type of blood cancer that affects the immune system and attacks the bone marrow. In the letter, Du Bois recalled other times in his life where he has had to face 'heavy curve balls'. He had previously fallen 14m off a roof, leaving him with a broken back and shattered leg, and later went through years of failed fertility treatment with his wife, Leonie, who was diagnosed with cervical cancer just two weeks after a miscarriage on their 12th round of IVF. 'When I got my diagnosis – incurable cancer, three months to live – I didn't fall apart.. I didn't make peace with that prognosis,' the Living Room presenter said. 'I knew that from leaning into the previous adversities of life I had the resilience to give the fight of my life.' Du Bois first appeared on television screens in 2011 as a contestant on a renovating series before becoming a co-host on The Living Room, Amanda Keller, Dr Chris Brown and Miguel Maestre. In 2012, Du Bois and Leonie welcomed two twins via surrogacy, calling it the most 'extraordinary moment' of his life. 'They are the reason I keep fighting, the reason I stay strong, the reason I smile every morning.'
Business of Fashion
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business of Fashion
Creative Entrepreneurship Takes Centre Stage at BoF and Self-Portrait Los Angeles Cocktail
LOS ANGELES — On Wednesday, a curated assembly of Los Angeles' most influential voices in fashion, culture and creative enterprise, convened for an exclusive cocktail reception hosted by Imran Amed, The Business of Fashion founder and chief executive, and Han Chong, founder and creative director of womenswear brand Self-Portrait. The event, hosted at The Living Room in Los Angeles, centred around the theme 'Creatives Shaping Culture'. It is the first in an ongoing series celebrating global creative entrepreneurship, the reception marked a meaningful step in strengthening the relationship between creative vision and business innovation that propels the fashion ecosystem forward. The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait Celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' From left to right: Imran Amed and Han Chong attend a cocktail party to celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture', hosted by The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait at The Living Room. (Getty Images) 'Creativity does not take place in silos,' shared Amed, as the evening began. 'Our cultural landscape has fashion, music, contemporary art, design and film intermingling with each other. Bringing people together from across these creative disciplines is one way of harnessing the potential of creative collisions, as well as the new ideas and possibilities that come from them.' The evening drew together a dynamic mix of voices from across the BoF community. Designers and entrepreneurs like Shay Mitchell, Mike Amiri, Samantha Richelle, Tina Craig and Gelila Puck mingled with artists and actors like Becky G, Bella Poarch, Victoria Justice, Evan Ross and Manoj Dias, as well as cultural catalysts and creative talents like Janaya 'Future' Khan, Elaine Welteroth and Nara Aziza Smith. 'When I founded my brand, I knew I wanted this to be at the core of everything we did — the name itself, 'Self-Portrait' – was intended to reflect this idea of evolution and self-expression not only to my customers, but to the partners we work with too,' said Chong. 'Tonight is a really good moment to celebrate this through an event with a partner who shares the same ambitions to make an impact on creativity.' When discussing Los Angeles' singular position as an intersection of fashion, entertainment, technology and art, Chong said: 'The city is an incredible tapestry of creativity and innovation. This event creates the space to celebrate a unique energy, connect with people who are influencing the landscape, and encourage the exchange of ideas that lead to new possibilities.' Singer and actor Becky G echoed a similar sentiment: '[LA] is such a melting pot of so many different cultures. [...] Today, there is so much movement for the culture, for community, and there's a lot of connection that's happening.' She added the importance of 'telling stories' within the creative process. 'It didn't really matter the realm in which that happened, whether it was through music, through fashion, through film and TV,' she told BoF. 'Then, cultivating that sense of community just came with time in it.' Model Halima Aden shared a similar sentiment around sharing narratives within creative work: 'It's always [about] telling stories. I feel like that's how I connect personally. I need to hear your story to connect and it inspires me to share my own and create my own.' However, actually 'being creative and doing something that not everyone's doing' is one of the biggest challenges facing emerging talent today, according to model-turned-content creator Nara Aziza Smith. 'It's kind of intimidating stepping out of that comfort zone a little bit and doing something different,' she added. Aden advised that creatives 'just have to post it and hope that it connects with the right audience.' She adds: 'Don't get in the habit of, 'It needs to be perfect before I can show the world what my art is.' Just have confidence.' And as influencer and entrepreneur Hallie Batchelder added: 'I always just say yes to everything and [...] then I always have a story to tell.' BoF's 'Creatives Shaping Culture' event was made possible in partnership with Self Portrait. Special thanks to The Living Room for hosting this gathering. The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait Celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' From left to right: Imran Amed and Winnie Harlow attend a cocktail party to celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture', hosted by The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait at The Living Room. (Getty Images) The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait Celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' Elaine Welteroth attends a cocktail party to celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' hosted by The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait at The Living Room. (for The Business of Fashion) The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait Celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' Nara Aziza Smith attends a cocktail party to celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture', hosted by The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait at The Living Room. (Getty Images) The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait Celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' Jay Hines attends a cocktail party to celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' hosted by The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait at The Living Room. (for The Business of Fashion) The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait Celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' Courtney Eaton attends a cocktail party to celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' hosted by The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait at The Living Room. (for The Business of Fashion) The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait Celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' Janaya 'Future' Khan attends a cocktail party to celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' hosted by The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait at The Living Room. (for The Business of Fashion) The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait Celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' Delilah Belle Hamlin attends a cocktail party to celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture', hosted by The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait at The Living Room. (Getty Images) The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait Celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' Dree Hemingway attends a cocktail party to celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' hosted by The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait at The Living Room. (for The Business of Fashion) The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait Celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' From left to right: Raissa Gerona, Sami Miro, Kristen Noel Crawley and Shay Mitchell attend a cocktail party to celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture', hosted by The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait at The Living Room. (for The Business of Fashion) The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait Celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' Halima Aden attends a cocktail party to celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture', hosted by The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait at The Living Room. (Getty Images) The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait Celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' Brianne Howey attends a cocktail party to celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture', hosted by The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait at The Living Room. (Getty Images) The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait Celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' Ryan Destiny attends a cocktail party to celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture', hosted by The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait at The Living Room. (Getty Images) The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait Celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' Maria Bakalova attends a cocktail party to celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture', hosted by The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait at The Living Room. (Getty Images) The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait Celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' Larsen Thompson attends a cocktail party to celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture', hosted by The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait at The Living Room. (Getty Images) The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait Celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' Bella Poarch attends a cocktail party to celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' hosted by The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait at The Living Room. (for The Business of Fashion) The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait Celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' Becky G attends a cocktail party to celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture', hosted by The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait at The Living Room. (Getty Images) The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait Celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' Salem Mitchell attends a cocktail party to celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' hosted by The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait at The Living Room. (for The Business of Fashion) The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait Celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' From left to right: Imran Amed, founder & CEO of The Business of Fashion, with Elaine Welteroth, Jonathan Singletary, Evan Ross and Janaya 'Future' Khan attend a cocktail party to celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' hosted by The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait at The Living Room. (for The Business of Fashion) The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait Celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' From left to right: Han Chong, founder and creative director of Self-Portrait, and Tina Craig attend a cocktail party to celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' hosted by The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait at The Living Room. (for The Business of Fashion) The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait Celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' DJ Kitty Ca$h at a cocktail party to celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' hosted by The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait at The Living Room. (for The Business of Fashion) The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait Celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' From left to right: Bella Poarch and Becky G attend a cocktail party to celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' hosted by The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait at The Living Room. (for The Business of Fashion) The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait Celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' DJ Acyde at a cocktail party to celebrate 'Creatives Shaping Culture' hosted by The Business of Fashion and Self-Portrait at The Living Room. (for The Business of Fashion) This is a sponsored feature paid for by Self-Portrait as part of a BoF partnership.
The Age
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
‘Jana Wendt was my idol, but I was truly obsessed with Barry Manilow'
AK: Not quite. I had met her in passing, through her husband [Harley Oliver], who was working at Simon Townsend's Wonder World, when he came in as a producer years ago, at the very tail end of me working there. I remember being incredibly starstruck and shy, but she was lovely. And, after all, it wasn't as if she was Barry Manilow, who was the one I was truly obsessed with! Fitz: Barry Manilow? You must have been the most uncool teenager ever! And just quietly, I think you might have been up against it to gain his affections even on the best of days. AK: But that was part of it – because he was dorky and relatively unattractive. And I say that with great love for Barry. He was kind of … we felt he was gettable. We knew our level, and Barry was my level. You know, he lived in a New York apartment and I fantasised about sitting on a couch in front of the fire with him, having a hot chocolate. That's as far as my fantasies went. Fitz: OK, I'll sign for that. Shades of The Living Room TV show. But I digress. And you've of course since gone on to the most extraordinarily peripatetic media career, doing lots of TV shows, while having your Gold-FM breakfast radio gig Jonesy & Amanda as your solid base for at least a couple of decades. If you can park your humility for a moment, what is it you reckon you've got that has allowed you to prosper for so long on so many media platforms? AK: It is very out of my character to park the humility, but I think it's because I've just done the work. I've always felt that was the job, working hard and trying to make a good fist of it. Fitz: Given the phenomenal success of Jonesy & Amanda on Gold-FM – and its much more middle-of-the road nature, without ever being bland – does it seem strange to you that you and Brendan Jones weren't the ones syndicated to Melbourne, instead of Kyle & Jackie O? AK: No. That was their ambition, and never ours. I'm just happy turning up for work and looking out this window we have in our office in North Sydney, seeing the sun come up over the harbour city. We moved into this new building we're in now, straight after the terrible stabbings at Bondi Junction. Just felt like from our vantage point up there, I felt like I wanted to give our city a giant hug. Loading Fitz: Off the top of my head, I can only remember you being associated with one controversy – and even then it was just you making some narky comments – when Channel Ten suddenly pulled the Persian rug out from under you on The Living Room after a decade's success. You said, as I remember it, 'something, something, something, those mongrels, something, something'. AK: Yes, I don't remember the exact quote, either, but yes, of course I remember my feelings around it. And look, it really had gone for 10 years on television, which is 100 million years in human lives – so we'd had a great run – but I do know how rare that kind of chemistry is on television. And not a day goes by someone in the street doesn't say, 'Hey, what happened to The Living Room?' So I was just so surprised at the decision, and I'm still surprised at the decision. Fitz: And yet, in the patented Keller fashion, you bounced quickly into another gig, this one The Role of a Lifetime, which was all about parenting. I know you and Harley have raised two fine sons. But when you looked at all the experts on that show offering sage advice, did you and Harley come up to the mark or not? AK: It's interesting. A lot of the new parents were very intentional about the food their child eats, when it's going to have screen time, and all of that. We just did our best, and let the kids do things they wanted to do that weren't dangerous and hopefully praised and raised them in the right ways. And I think we've been really lucky with where we've ended up. Fitz: And given you and Harley were both in the media and both flat out, did you have guilt, as my wife and I did, that we're juggling a lot of balls here and we've got to make damn sure that none of the three balls that are children fall? Which is why I stopped breakfast radio myself, as she was doing breakfast TV. AK: Yes, and that is where Harley stepped up. I was doing breakfast radio, and Harley was the one who was doing freelance work, so he was the one therefore who said, 'I'll be the parent that takes them to school in the morning. I'll be the parent that will field the phone calls until you get home. I'll be the one at the bus stop.' With my friend Anita McGregor, who's a forensic psychologist, I do a podcast called Double A Chattery.... Fitz: [ Interrupting ] Of course you do a podcast! You probably also do a radio show for left-handed New Yorkers, in your spare time, while also trying to sort out peace in the Middle East. But go on. AK: [ Laughing ] And the podcast we did for Mother's Day that we recorded last week was with my two sons, and I told them how guilty I felt that I couldn't be there for the Mother's Day breakfasts, for the drop-offs, for the many things I couldn't do. I asked them, 'Did it matter to you?' And they are such lovely boys. They said, 'No, it didn't because you always said to us, 'If this really matters, tell me, and I will make a giant effort'.' They understood the nature of the family, how it must adapt to needs, and that's how we tried to do it. Fitz: Which brings us, after a run-up that would do D.K. Lillee proud, to The Piano, which starts on the ABC tonight. What was the pitch when it came to you? AK: This show is so not what the title says it is. It is just pure heart and music and beauty and tears. It's about people playing piano in public spaces, to enrich lives. And as soon as I saw one episode [of the British series], I said, 'OK, well, I'm going to have to find time in my diary for that'. Fitz: And so it began. AK: We selected five different locations around Australia, and people were chosen to come down and play. One woman was blind and deaf, and watching her was quite extraordinary. She had an interpreter who touched her hand as I was talking to her, an instant translator. And as she played, this person was standing at her back signalling to her what was happening. At one point the translator made what looked be like the pitter-patter of rain down her back, to tell her that people were applauding. It was just extraordinary. We had kids who had written songs in their bedrooms because they weren't sporty and were being bullied at school, and music was their saviour. We had older people whose partners had Alzheimer's, and music was the way the thing that still connected them. Everybody has a story, and the stories that poured out of these people, and the role that the music and the piano had played in their lives, was just wonderful. Loading Fitz: And you have a couple of pianists helping you? AK: Yes. What I probably should mention is that it's not a competition. But we have Andrea Lam, who's Australia's premier classical pianist, and Harry Connick Jr watching on, and they come out at the end and select the person who's touched them the most, or made them laugh or influence them the most. And at the end, we get all the best to put on a concert in a concert hall, and it is spectacular.
