Chris Hyndman

Chris Hyndman
Born
Christopher Edward Hyndman

(1966-03-03)March 3, 1966
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
DiedAugust 3, 2015(2015-08-03) (aged 49)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Occupation(s)Television personality, designer
Years active1992–2015
Spouse
​
(m. 2008⁠–⁠2015)​

Christopher Edward Hyndman (March 3, 1966 – August 3, 2015) was a Canadian interior decorator and television personality, who was co-host of the afternoon talk show Steven and Chris on CBC Television until his death in August 2015.

Career[edit]

Hyndman worked in the makeup department of the Hudson's Bay Company before becoming a makeup artist for Citytv[1] at the invitation of television personality Jeanne Beker.[2]

Hyndman and his husband Steven Sabados launched the interior design firm Sabados Group in 1992.[3]

Aside from private clientele, they also did set design work for various television productions in the Toronto area, and later starred in the first three seasons of Designer Guys, a Canadian design show.[4] In 2004, Sabados and Hyndman debuted a new show with a similar format, titled Design Rivals,[5] and a makeover show called So Chic with Steven and Chris in 2005.[6]

According to Beker, Hyndman did not originally have aspirations of becoming a television personality himself, but was active in supporting Sabados' goals while being personally content to work behind the scenes.[7] He became an on-air personality, initially reluctantly, only when a television producer suggested that they work together as a duo because of their unique and telegenic chemistry.[7]

Personal life[edit]

Hyndman was born in Ottawa and grew up in the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador.[8] He first met Sabados through mutual friends at a Toronto bar in 1988.[9] They moved in together three months later.[10] Despite being a longtime couple off-screen, they did not publicly acknowledge their relationship until 2007. They married a year later.[11][12]

Death[edit]

On August 3, 2015, Hyndman was found unresponsive in a laneway directly below the condominium unit he shared with Sabados in Toronto, shortly after 11 p.m. EDT. He was pronounced dead shortly after. He was 49 years old.[3][8] Hyndman and Sabados had just returned from a vacation in Barbados one day earlier.[13]

While no confirmed cause of death has been released, the Toronto Police Service indicated that it was not considered a criminal matter, leading many to suspect it may have been a suicide.[13] Two days after his death, his mother told the media that Hyndman was a sleepwalker, and she believes he fell off the couple's balcony during a sleep walk.[14] In May 2016, Sabados said he does not share this view.[15]

Following Hyndman's death, production and airing of Steven and Chris was suspended pending a decision from Sabados on whether he wanted to continue the show on his own or with a new co-host. On August 21, 2015, Sabados announced that he would not continue the show, resulting in its cancellation.[16] In May 2016, Sabados gave his first in-depth media interview since Hyndman's death, telling Heather Hiscox of CBC News that Hyndman was the "idea guy" in their personal and professional partnership.[17] Around the same time, Sabados announced that he was creating a new daytime talk show, The Goods, to premiere on CBC in fall 2016 with co-hosts Jessi Cruickshank, Andrea Bain and Shahir Massoud.[18] According to Sabados, while he couldn't imagine returning to television on his own or with a single replacement co-host for Hyndman, the new show's four-host panel format felt more comforting and freeing for him.[18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Szklarski, Cassandra (2015-08-05). "Chris Hyndman of CBC-TV design series 'Steven and Chris' has died". The StarPhoenix. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 2015-08-06.
  2. ^ "Chris Hyndman remembered as 'a vibrant spirit'". CTV News. 2015-08-05. Retrieved 2015-08-06.
  3. ^ a b "Christopher Hyndman, co-host of CBC's Steven and Chris, dead at 49". CBC News. 2015-08-04.
  4. ^ "Decor without decorum ; Designer Guys use a playful approach to dispense advice". Toronto Star, January 14, 2001.
  5. ^ "Designer guys duke it out". Calgary Herald, June 27, 2004.
  6. ^ West, Rachel (2016-04-16). "Steven Sabados of 'Steven and Chris' announces next big career move". ET Canada. Global News. Retrieved 2019-09-14.
  7. ^ a b "Chris Hyndman 'saved my life' says friend Jeanne Beker". CBC News, August 5, 2015.
  8. ^ a b "Chris Hyndman of CBC's 'Steven and Chris' has died". Global News. August 4, 2015.
  9. ^ "Chris Hyndman of CBC's 'Steven and Chris' has died". CityNews. 2015-08-04. Retrieved 2015-08-06.
  10. ^ "How 8 prominent Canadian couples met". Maclean's. 2013-12-19. Retrieved 2015-08-06.
  11. ^ Zekas, Rita (2008-02-16). "Hyndman and Sabados: The perfect cupcakes". The Toronto Star. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  12. ^ McLaren, Leah (2008-01-10). "Every woman's favourite gay husbands are back". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2019-09-14.
  13. ^ a b "Chris Hyndman’s death is a loss to the national family". Maclean's, August 4, 2015.
  14. ^ "Chris Hyndman’s mother believes he died while sleepwalking" Archived 2015-10-20 at the Wayback Machine. Metro, August 6, 2015.
  15. ^ "Chris Hyndman's death 'shattered my life,' says Steven Sabados'". CBC News, May 24, 2016.
  16. ^ "Chris Hyndman death prompts end of Steven and Chris show". CBC News, August 21, 2015.
  17. ^ "Steven Sabados reflects on Chris Hyndman and the 'strength that he gave me'". CBC News, May 24, 2016.
  18. ^ a b "The Goods, CBC's new daytime show, adds Andrea Bain and Shahir Massoud to cast". CBC News, July 20, 2016.

External links[edit]

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