As Jenny-May Coffin, the author played netball for New Zealand, and was vice-captain in 2001. She also played for the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic in the National Bank Cup between 1998 and 2004 and the Auckland Diamonds in 2007; she also played one season for the Southern Steel in the ANZ Championship in 2008, and was signed to play with the Northern Mystics in 2010. Since 2005, Jenny-May Clarkson has been a sports commentator and news presenter for TVNZ and Maori Television, and since 2020 has been one of the co-hosts on Breakfast. She lives in Manukau with her husband Dean Clarkson, and their twin sons.