Co-hosts Amanda and Barry chat about their longlasting friendship. 20

THE DYNAMIC DUO TELL ALL ON THEIR LASTING FRIENDSHIP

Together they’re one half of The Living Room, where they join Miguel Maestre and Dr Chris Brown to serve up expert advice on everything from renovating to pet care. But it’s hard for Amanda Keller and Barry Du Bois to consider their nine-year-long gig on the couch as ‘work’ when, in reality, it’s a total blast!

From the minute the pair begin dishing on each other, it’s clear there’s no secret to their electric chemistry and quick-witted banter. And as Barry tells New Idea, his friendship with Amanda is simply unbreakable!

“We’re similar and different in so many ways,” he explains. “We have been through the same sort of things over the years, from IVF to the loss of our mothers – we’re close in age and so we have shared a lot of life.”

Barry, 60, reveals he’s known Amanda, 59, for just over 12 years, but it “feels like a lifetime … we both value our friendship and invest in it”.

For Amanda, who also co-anchors Jonesy & Amanda on WSFM, their shared history is the thing she loves most about their bond.

“When I first met him, his children hadn’t even been born, and now I can’t wait to hear what they have been up to every time we catch up. Barry is one of a kind and I feel so lucky to have met him,” she gushes.

Over the years, Barry has been refreshingly honest about his life, including the struggle he and wife, Leonie, went through trying to have children.

The pair, who married in 1999, were unable to have a child naturally after a series of miscarriages and Leonie’s cervical cancer diagnosis in 2004. So after multiple attempts at IVF and adoption, they decided to try surrogacy. In June 2012, they welcomed twins Arabella and Bennett.

Barry says he was thankful to have Amanda by his side throughout the hardship.

“I’ve been lucky to be able to confide in her. I’ve been through some tough times and she’s been there for me. Our friendship is very special to me.”

Certainly, the laughs and the banter are aplenty on set, especially due to Barry’s impeccable sense of humour. Amanda brilliantly describes it as “a combination of ‘dad jokes’, references to TV commercials from the

’70s and toilet humour”.

So funny is Barry, Amanda