Jay-Jay Feeney

Feeney was born Jacqulyn-Joanne Barbara Feeney on 28 March 1974,[1][2] to Robynne Andersen.[5]

Feeney began her radio career doing six weeks of work experience at Energy FM in New Plymouth at the age of 15. Over the next two years, she helped out with station promotions. At one point, she donated $50 to charity to go on air with Heemi Hill on Radio Taranaki for half an hour, and ended up staying on air for four hours. She left school at the end of sixth form and studied towards a certificate in Media Studies at Taranaki Polytechnic, while continuing to work at Energy FM; she had her first on-air break in February 1991, when the usual 1 am - 7 am weekend host didn't show up. She was later given the Monday-Friday midnight - 6 am shift, then a couple of weeks later, promoted to 7 pm - midnight.[1]

In 1994, she moved to The Breeze in Hamilton, where she hosted the drive show. She then left four months later, to host the drive show (2 pm - 7 pm) on eight-week-old station The Edge, where she started on air on 26 September 1994. In May 1995, she moved to host breakfast (6 am - 10 am) with Malcolm Paul, and drive (10 am - 2 pm) by herself. Feeney won her first two radio awards, for Best Individual Air Personality, in 1995 and 1996. In 1996, Malcolm Paul was replaced by Brian "Butt Ugly Bob" Reid. In 1998, Reid took his own life, and Jason Reeves took over as his temporary replacement, and eventually became permanent. From 1998-2001, several co-hosts appeared, including Clarke Gayford and Jesse Mulligan. In 2001, Dominic Harvey, Feeney's boyfriend, joined the show, moving from the breakfast show on 2XS FM in Palmerston North.[1]

In 2004, Mike Puru, the night show host at the time, took over from Jason Reeves. The trio of Jay-Jay, Mike & Dom lasted for 11 years, before Puru was replaced by Clint Randell (called Randell on air to avoid confusion with Clint Roberts, who worked on the drive show at the time).[1] In 2015, she appeared in the sixth series of Dancing with the Stars, where she placed fourth.[6] In 2017, Jay-Jay left The Edge, with her last day on air being 22 December 2017.[4]

In April 2018, she began on More FM, hosting the drive show, Jase & Jay-Jay Driving You Home, with Jason Gunn.[7] Paul "Flynny" Flynn joined the show in May 2019,[8] which became Jay-Jay, Flynny & Jase Driving You Home. Gunn subsequently left the show, and it is now known as Jay-Jay & Flynny Driving You Home.

Feeney married co-host Dominic Harvey on 20 June 2004.[3] They adopted Feeney's nephew, Seven, in 2007;[9] ten years later, he went to live with another family member.[10] As a result of surgery, Harvey has retrograde ejaculate; this means that in vitro fertilisation was necessary to have children, they did five rounds without success.[5][11] In 2010, she changed her name to Jay-Jay Harvey.[1] The pair announced they had split in August 2017,[12] and she reverted to her surname of Feeney.