'Leave pass': Hilary Barry has awkward encounter with fan's wife

Hilary Barry is likely used to meeting her viewers - but one fan encounter caught her by surprise.

The Seven Sharp host says she met a woman who requested a selfie but was caught off guard by the conversation that followed.

• Hilary Barry to star in new TVNZ game show reboot

"Most unusual conversation of the last 24 hours," she said of the encounter.

Barry says the woman asked for a selfie for her husband, and the presenter agreed. But the fan mentioned she was her husband's "leave pass". The term implies the woman's husband has permission to leave her for Barry.

And the TVNZ star had a hilarious response to the revelation. She replied: "Your husband needs a better leave pass."

Barry recently reflected on the not-so-glamorous life of working in television.

"A lot of people think working in TV is glamorous.

"If you are one of those people you might like to know I cleaned guinea pig poo off the Seven Sharp couch today," she shared on Twitter.

Soon Barry is embarking on an exciting new TV project alongside two familiar faces: former National MP Paula Bennett and comedian Tom Sainsbury. Barry said she "jumped at the chance" to be a part of a game show.

The trio are fronting a reboot of the popular charades game show Give Us a Clue.

While Barry and Sainsbury will captain opposing teams they will be at the mercy of Paula Bennett, who will put the celebrity players through their paces as host and resident queen of clues.

Give Us a Clue sees women versus men in a battle of charades as New Zealand's favourite celebrities attempt to mime out the titles for movies, TV shows, songs, books, plays and quotations, all before the clock runs out.

The show screens on TVNZ 1 this winter.