From swimming with great white sharks to coming face-to-face with grizzly bears, there’s little Allison Langdon won’t do in the pursuit of story.
The Weekend Today co-host and 60 Minutes reporter is used to living life on the edge and has no plans to slow down any time soon.
“I love this job,” Allison, 38, says. “I love the mix of hard news and entertainment – and having a bit of fun too.”
But when she’s not busy breaking stories, Allison is fulfilling her greatest role to date: being mum to one-year-old son Mack. Here, Allison tells TV WEEK how she manages to juggle it all.
“I love the adrenaline rush that comes with live TV,” Allison says.
On co-hosting Weekend Today
“I love the adrenaline rush that comes with live television.
“With mornings, there’s a certain structure to it, but a lot of it is flying by the seat of your pants – and when news breaks, you go to it in that moment.”
On Peter Stefanovic
“I hate him – he’s obnoxious! [Laughs]
“Pete [her co-host on Weekend Today] and I have been great mates for over a decade. We’re friends who hang out outside of work, so it’s a nice fit. I feel so comfortable knowing I’m going to sit next to someone who’s incredibly generous, a great journo and a good friend.”
On those early-morning starts
“I’m up with Mack anyway, so it’s not as hard as a few years back, when my weekends looked different.
“If you’re someone who loves Friday and Saturday nights, it would be more difficult, but it hasn’t changed much, to be honest.”
On her career highlights
“I’ve done some extraordinary stories to do with wildlife over the years, like swimming with leopard seals in Antarctica and with great white sharks in South Africa, and seeing grizzly bears in the wild in Canada and gorillas in the Congo.
“But, for me, it’s the people you meet along the way, like Turia Pitt [the burns-victim-turned-author and motivational speaker] or Rosie Batty [the domestic violence survivor and campaigner] in Australia, to women overseas who set up secret schools in Islamic countries in Africa. If they’re caught, they’d be executed.
“You realise that for all the doom and gloom out there, there are many amazing people doing extraordinary things.”
On motherhood
“I’ve learnt I can exist on very little sleep and that I’m a pretty calm person.
“My husband thinks sometimes I’m a little too relaxed, but I think I put everything in perspective. Being a mum teaches you patience, that’s for sure.”
On her son, Mack
“Mack just turned one. We’re so lucky, he’s a very happy baby. He’s pretty cheeky.
“I find this has been the most fun I’ve had with him now that he’s a bit older and almost walking. He’s making lots of noises, has a few words and you can see a real personality developing.
“If we could just get him sleeping in a little…” [Laughs]
On having more children
“Yikes! We’re only just coming up for air [after Mack], so I think we’re happy to leave that for a while.
“One is enough. I have lots of changes happening at work and he’s just getting to a really fun age. I think I’ll just enjoy this for a while.”
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