Since her departure, she has relished claiming back time with her boys, which she says “has been lost” to her previous role.
Now, her favourite part of the day is getting her 9-year-old twins, Atawhai and Te Manahau, ready for school, something she never got to experience while on Breakfast.
Jenny-May Clarkson was joined on her last day by her family, including her mum, and twin sons, one of whom held a picture of her late dad.
“I want to send my boys off into the world feeling loved, and I can do that for them now,” she says.
“I tell them how amazing they are, and tell them to have the best day. That seriously means everything.”
Since the end of her morning television career – and 3am alarm – Clarkson admits she’s had her ups and downs.
“I walked out of the building, and I was happy. I don’t miss any of that at all. I miss the team, but that’s it really,” says the host with a laugh, adding, “I had a good run”.
“I don’t wish I were back there at all, but I’m grateful for the experience.”
Jenny-May Clarkson hosted alongside Chris Chang and Daniel Faitaua.
During that first month off work, Clarkson says self-doubt crept in, and she wondered what she was going to do for an income, putting herself out there for gigs that she didn’t land. But now, things are starting to make sense.
“I’m finding my path at the moment, but it’s going to take a little bit more time for me to continue to create the pathway.
“It’s a funny space to sit in. It’s scary, but it’s also really empowering because I’m taking control of what my future looks like.”
Clarkson says roles are again coming her way, like hosting the daily live one-hour studio show for the nine days the Paralympics run. She will be joined by gold and three-time bronze medallist Steven Bayley and Beijing Paralympic assistant coach Scott Palmer.
So, when that offer came in from the company that had employed her for more than 20 years, was it an instant yes for the presenter?
“I had just come out of a funeral service when I got the phone call,” Clarkson reveals.
“But you don’t get opportunities like this handed to you, and so while it was a moment of hesitation, the hesitation wasn’t that I didn’t want to do it, the hesitation was just taking a breath to go, ‘this is what I’ve just experienced, and here’s this amazing opportunity’.
“But I also didn’t hesitate because it was an opportunity, again, to be involved back in sports and back into broadcasting.”
Clarkson, who got her start at TVNZ as a netball commentator in 2005, says returning to a sports role ironically feels a little like the title of her 2025 book, Full Circle.
“I feel like I’m coming back and returning to my roots.
“I felt I’d left sport behind, but now I’m back in the space, it lights me up again. I’m coming back to the realisation that sport is my lane. It’s what I feel really comfortable in.”
Jenny-May Clarkson played for the Silver Ferns, as well as being the Mystics’ assistant coach. Photo / Chris Symes
The ex-Silver Ferns vice-captain says she’s thrilled to have the opportunity to champion Paralympians, who she calls “legends of sport”.
“I think it’s really important that we see them as athletes and give them that respect. That is the part I’m really focused on when it comes to being part of the broadcast – the incredible stories and inspiring stories that go along with it.
“The dedication, the grit, the determination, pushing boundaries, strength, power, belief, all of those things that come along with watching our amazing para athletes.”
Clarkson is particularly excited to see para alpine ski racer Corey Peters attempt to defend the gold he won in Beijing in 2022, as well as alpine skier Adam Hall, who will be attending his sixth Paralympics.
“These are once-in-a-lifetime athletes, and we should be incredibly proud of them, no matter what happens,” says Clarkson.
Clarkson has also been working on growing her new business, which offers confidence courses. She says the work has been deeply rewarding, allowing her to help those struggling with self-doubt.
Jenny-May Clarkson will lead TVNZ’s Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games coverage. Photo / TVNZ
The broadcaster admits she’s had moments in their shoes, facing sexism, racism and unpleasant social media commentary during her time on screen, which at times knocked her confidence.
But Clarkson says getting older, maturing and accepting who she is has helped her see comments for what they are.
“Where your focus goes, your energy goes. So why would I want to put my energy into comments, into those people and the words that they’re writing about me? The reality for me is that it speaks more about them than it does about me.
“I am who I am. I’m proud of who I have become and who I am becoming. I’m proud of my whakapapa, where I come from, my family lines.
“There might be comments that sting; you do see them, but you don’t sit in it. Because if you do, you’d be afraid to do anything, be yourself or say what’s true to you.”
Coverage of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games starts on March 7, across TVNZ+ and TVNZ Duke.