BARRY DU BOIS TURNS 60!
The popular TV presenter celebrates his milestone birthday with a reflective trip down memory lane
It’s hard to imagine TV without lovable Barry Du Bois. As the resident building guru on Ten’s wildly popular The Living Room, and before that a fixture on The Renovators, the presenter has become something of a small-screen staple!
But speaking to Woman’s Day, the father of eight-yearold twins Bennett and Arabella reveals he was once advised to avoid the “soul-destroying” industry entirely. Thankfully, never one to give in to peer pressure, Barry admits the biggest lesson he’s learned is to
always trust his instincts. It’s just one of the many things he’s discovered and some of the wisdom he shares during his milestone 60th birthday party on TV when a very special guest pays him a visit.
The heartfelt episode will see none other than TV host Mike Munro present Barry with his very own This Is Your Birthday book! “I’ve been a huge This Is Your Life fan, and an even bigger Mike Munro fan, so to first of all see him in the room was a huge surprise and very overwhelming,” says
Barry. “Then for him to say those words... I just thought, ‘Oh my gosh, has my life really come this far!?’ What an honour,” he says. But certainly, Barry’s life has come very far.
Raised in western Sydney, he ran a successful building business but retired in his early 40s to deal with crippling depression, before going on to get a second wind on TV.
Desperate to have children, he and his wife of almost 21 years Leonie struggled after a series of miscarriages and when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer.
But in typical Barry y style, he refused to give up, and after trying IVF and adoption, the couple decided to use an Indian surrogate. “I’m the luckiest guy on earth, like every dad d in every delivery ward all over the country when they’re gifted with their children,” he says.
His never-give-up attitude is something he’s also courageously applied to his health battle. In 2010, a surfing accident lead to doctors discovering a giant tumour on his C1 vertebra and all over his brain and the base of his skull, and professionals thought he wouldn’t last three months.
Warned that it would only get worse if he survived, in 2017 he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma – cancer of the plasma cells in his bone marrow. And while the condition is incurable, Barry’s spirits have never dampened.
“Every day is a triumph, every day is a joy and every day is a gift. I think all people should see life like that. You shouldn’t have to be told you don’t have long to live life that way,” he says defiantly.
With his family by his side there’s plenty to smile about, especially on his birthday. “I’m going to have a couple of my closest friends and family around to celebrate with a nice dinner and take the time to be thankful for so many amazing people in my life,” he tells.
With many more moments ahead, Barry says he’s looking forward to continuing his life with the people he loves. “I hope for the same thing every day – that I do the best for my kids, my wife, the people that I love and the people that I love without knowing,” he says.
‘Every day is a triumph, every day is a joy and a gift’