Cheryl Hickey, host of ET Canada, takes her job very seriously – so much so that at her first film festival party she jumped into a swimming pool to close the show and last year nearly gave birth at a party. If those examples don’t demonstrate commitment, I don’t know what does. 

Always glowing on the red carpet, it would seem that Cheryl truly does live like a celebrity, but she reveals to us that it isn’t all sparkly. That and how she wants to get to the bottom of Joaquin Phoenix.  

How are you preparing for TIFF right now? Well physically I’m trying to eat right and get lots of rest. As for when festival starts, it will be eat when you can grab something and sleep when you can. I’m viewing films and reading up on the stars to know what they have been up to as of late.

During TIFF, where would we most likely find you at 2PM? At 2AM? 2 PM:  Probably driving over to the Four Seasons to get “restoration” ready for the nights interviews and parties. 2AM: I will be just finishing my night of parties and interviews.  

What has been your most memorable TIFF party to date? I would say our last film festival party. I was just about to have my baby and was thinking , “Is tonight the night?” He was super active and I was a little nervous. 

What’s your celebrity story, or moment, that gets rehashed most at dinner parties? Probably my first film festival – I jumped in a pool in my gown to end the show. I still have that dress.

What are three things you need to survive during TIFF?  

1. Lots of water 2. Flip flops for when I am not in an interview, at a party or on stage 3. My black notebook with all my thoughts for interviews

What film are you looking forward to most this year?  Barney’s Version! The Oscar buzz is already strong and the cast is just amazing.

What party are you most excited about this year? Ours, of course. And I can’t just pick one as they are all our babies. 

If you could pick the brain of one film maker, who would it be?  It would be Paul Haggis. I think he is so talented and each time I chat with him I learn something interesting. Aside from that he is crazy funny.

If you could grab a drink with one celeb who is attending TIFF this year, who would you choose? Joaquin Phoenix. I want to know what has been up with him this last year or so. I would love to have an interview and see if I could understand what happened.

What’s the first thing you’ll do once TIFF is over?  No doubt run home and hug my baby boy for hours. Oh, and my husband too