Johanna Griggs on mags, network bosses and telling it like it is.

EXCLUSIVE:

Johanna Griggs isn’t one to hold back.

Whether it’s her passion for sport or lifestyle, viewers have come to learn what you see is what you get.

Griggs has endured axings, unemployment, magazine headlines and more. But a flash of that Griggs smile and all is forgotten for this TV survivor.

She also speaks her own mind on tabloid stories, Commonwealth Games ceremonies or even on Reality TV manipulation.

Social media has certainly given her a right of reply and she’s not afraid to use it.

“It’s actually incredibly freeing having it. I’m no different whether it’s about magazines, or if I’m challenging bosses on something that I don’t agree with,” she tells TV Tonight.

“Oh my gosh, you said what?”

“I think I was pretty outspoken when I left House Rules as well and the bosses didn’t blink an eye. I think it’s more the public that sometimes goes, ‘Oh my gosh, you said what?’ I’ve never been any different. My argument to them all the time is: I choose to sleep at night. If you live a certain way, and you’ve never been any different it’s very easy to be able to win an argument with someone.

“The magazines definitely know what I’m like. They recently came to us and said, ‘Look, we’re making a very concerted effort to be positive, we’d love to do a story.’ That’s fantastic in theory, and it’s wonderful that you’re going down that path, but how about we leave it and we actually see just how positive you’ve been in 12 months? Not just for me, but for everyone.

“Previously, you’d have to read these rubbish headlines.”

“So you definitely have a voice, whereas previously, you’d have to read these rubbish headlines. It never bothers (me) -it’s how it affects the people around you. Family and friends. Every time they write some rubbish article with (former partner) Gary Sweet, it’s so disrespectful to his partner. They’ve been together for 18 years and they still write rubbish on that front. So you can actually call them out on that now. You know what? He’s happy. I’m happy. Who cares?”

Griggs has been host of Better Homes & Gardens since 2005, having first joined Seven in 1993 with roles on Seven Sport, Sportsworld, Olympics, House Calls to the Rescue, and Auction Squad.

“We knocked off Don Burke on Friday nights,” she recalls of the latter.

But change would come in 1995 when she was axed whilst on maternity leave -something that would surely backfire if it happened today.

“We had a change of management and a fax came through. I remember getting home and my manager was so worried but I was actually quite relieved. Because at that stage, my baby was four months old, starting to respond and being really gorgeous after those first sleepless months. I thought, ‘Oh, well, we’ll see what happens next,’ not really understanding the enormity of it,” Griggs reveals.

“But you have to at least be axed once in television to say that you made, it right?

“I actually worked for all the networks”

“In a weird way where it was the biggest blessing in disguise because personal circumstances had changed and I literally had to take any and every job that came in. So I actually worked for all the networks. I worked for 10. I worked for Nine. I hosted political satirical shows, I remember doing the Comedy Festival. I did Good News Week. Lots of shows on the ABC. Anything that came in, as a guest, I worked for everyone.

“It was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

It was Foxtel which reached out with appearances on Beauty & the Beast, hosted by Stan Zemanek which Griggs concedes was a prickly engagement.

“I absolutely clashed with Stan Zemanek”

“I did a couple of guest spots on Beauty & the Beast and I absolutely clashed with Stan Zemanek, like you would not believe. It worked out over time and he was just a pussycat. He just had this public persona that he played up to,” she explains.

“Then I signed a contract with Foxtel. So they saved my home. I credit Brian Walsh with this all the time, because I’d lost my car and I was about to lose my house,” she concedes.

“Foxtel had been offering me a one year contract but the bank wouldn’t take one year as surety. So we rang Brian and said, ‘We will take this deal if we can get it for two years. But we need it by five o’clock this afternoon.’ And he delivered a contract that day.

“I’ve never ever forgotten it. Literally because of that, I could move back into my home and get back on track.”

Seven came calling once more for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, with Foxtel agreeing to shared duties. By 2005 she joined Better Homes & Gardens as host, variously following Noni Hazlehurst, John Jarratt and Graham Ross.

“I think we have to change some things,” Griggs told Seven. “I’d want to be a bit more hands-on and I don’t necessarily just want to do links. They said ‘That’s what we want as well.’

“They know I love cooking, architecture, I’m happy to get my hands dirty. So I could do the makeovers, talk about gardens and deal with celebrity guests. It was pretty much a bit of anything and everything.”

This week Griggs meets Riptide singer Vance Joy, a former landscaper himself, whose music career has taken off. On set on a chilly Melbourne morning, Griggs is at ease posing for a selfie with nearby laborers as much as she is with the talent.

“Vance Joy is an amazing success story. So we celebrate where he’s at, but also to promote his tour. We start off pointing out his love of landscaping, which people don’t necessarily realise he started in. We’re coming to a skate park because he loves skating and it’s something he’s rediscovered as an adult when he’s not touring. He’s not allowed to do it when he is touring. Then we end up at his home, talking about some of the charity work that he does. And he will obviously sing us a song and promote his album!”

“We don’t ever try and find a negative angle on anyone”

According to Griggs, one of the reasons she loves working on the show is its constant positivity.

“We don’t ever try and find a negative angle on anyone. You realise what a privilege it is to work on a show that has been part of people’s lives. We go to things with three, sometimes four, generations. Your grandparents tell you that they watch with their grandkids or you hear parents who know that they can click on it. We definitely noticed an upswing during the pandemic because people wanted comfort, something positive.”

BH&G has been a ratings juggernaut story for Seven, with 9 Logies as Most Popular Lifestyle Program. In its Friday timeslot, more than a few shows have attempted to knock it off.

“Certainly over the years we’ve had lots of shows that have come along and challenged us and they all find their place. But ultimately, we’re still the most watched,” says Griggs.

“If they really love it, they look for it”

“Most weeks we’re in two states on 7TWO. So it’s quite a confusing find sometimes and we don’t always get told how those changes are going to come. But I think people know it’s there. If they really love it, they look for it.

“I think we’re very respectful of the history of the show, because you feel like you’re just a baton holder on Better Homes and you know there’s going be a time where they come up and tap you on the shoulder. It’s gonna be someone else’s time.

“That’s kind of how we all approach it.”

Better Homes & Gardens 7pm Friday on Seven / 7TWO.