TONI’S EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER
The bubbly broadcaster and be sotted mum is embarking on her next chapter with gratitude and love
When broadcaster Toni Street first set out on the long and emotional surrogacy journey that would eventually result in the birth of o her adorable baby Lachie Lachie, she couldn’t help but worry about the bond she’d have with h her longed-for third child. Would she love him in the same way as her daughters, who were carried naturally, she wondered, or wou would their connection be someh somehow different?
But as her not-so-little toddler clamb clambers over her, planting kisses on Toni’s face and shouti shouting “Mama!” at the top of his lungs, l it’s clear those fears were unfounded. u In fact, the besott besotted mum can’t help but well up u when talking about her be beautiful boy, who was made possible thanks to the selfles selflessness of her best friend Sophie Braggins.
The New Plymouth-based busine businesswoman and mum of two st stepped in as a surrogate mothe mother, carrying little Lachie to term i in the ultimate gift to Toni and her he husband Matt France.
“It feels fe quite ridiculous that I even had those worries now,” Toni admits, a kissing the top of her tot tot’s head. “But surrogacy is such a an emotional rollercoaster. In som some ways it seems like a lifetim lifetime ago and in other ways it’s like it was yesterday. It still amaze amazes me that it happened and we went we through it, and every single day I am still blown away by what Sophie did for us. She’s given us such incredible joy and love with this little man.”
Just like his two big sisters, 18-month-old Lachie is an energetic bundle of joy, and on the day of our photo shoot he’s making it very clear he isn’t keen on his midday nap. Instead, he roams the house in nothing but a nappy, his toothy grin melting the hearts of the Woman’sDay team.
“He’s like a little prince,” laughs Toni. “He has everyone wrapped around his little finger!”
The down-to-earth TV and radio star – who recently made the surprise announcement she’s moving from The Hits to Coast next month – might have been up since 4.30am for her breakfast show, but she’s a whirlwind of energy, somehow managing to focus on our interview while organising
her busy household. With nanny Mary in support, she makes sure that four-year-old Mackenzie, or Mickey as she’s known, is picked up from kindy in time for dancing, and sends her parents Wendy and Geoff, visiting from Taranaki, to collect seven-year-old Juliette, (aka Juju) from school. Ballet clothes are gathered up and snacks are packed into lunchboxes. It’s a classic scene of organised chaos, and Toni, 36, admits the juggle between work and family is real.
“I’m not going to lie, it’s a constant struggle!” she declares. “Some weeks run more smoothly than others.”
Toni says that maintaining routines and structure doesn’t come naturally to her, and that it’s husband Matt, a sponsorship manager, who keeps things on track. He ensures the children are fed and bathed early, and in bed by seven each night.
“He is much more disciplined than me and I think it’s probably what keeps our family ticking over, even though we’re so busy,” she tells. “Sometimes I’ll try to bend the rules, but I always regret it because things really go off the rails when we’re tired or out of sync.”
And doting Matt, 36, is also firm when it comes to taking care of Toni, who was diagnosed with rare autoimmune condition Churg-Strauss syndrome in 2015. The life-threatening illness struck immediately after Mackenzie’s birth and