The Shape I’m In: Ella McSweeney

ELLA McSWEENEY refuses to let a high-profile career dictate her size. 

“Telly is a visual medium and you have to look as nice as you can. But I’ve made the decision not to get neurotic about my shape. I really care about being healthy and I really care about being strong. If I starved myself I could be a different shape, but I like eating too much,” says the presenter of RTE’s Ear to the Ground

Aged 36, her focus is on her “dream” job. “I’ve only ever wanted to be very mobile and meet people and hear what people have to say. I am very nosy, very curious... I don’t distinguish between my work and my life because I just love what I do,” she says.

Mum to two boys, Piran, 6, and Senan, 1, her “other half” Mark is an academic researcher based in Cornell University, working on a three-year project on mental health.

“I spend as much time as I can over there. It is in a really beautiful part of New York. It’s really dairy country. I’ve already got to know some farmers over there. It has worked out really well. ”

But it’s not all buttercups and meadows. “It’s been quite stressful in terms of managing things, but I’ve absolutely nothing to complain about. I don’t have an au pair but we’ve got fantastic family. It’s quite hectic and quite full-on and quite tiring. But I like change and I like living at a fast pace.”

What shape are you in?

I focus on health and strength, particularly muscle strength. I run quite a bit, I cycle, I do weights — that’s my approach. I exercise about four times a week. The more I do, the more I want to do.

Do you have any health concerns?

I’m very neurotic about being ill. If I’m anyway ill I will immediately Google things and go right to the doctor. I am very aware of any little niggle. I try to be a little more balanced because it’s not good for you.

What are your healthiest eating habits?

I would try to limit all the obvious things but I am not into extremities or fads. I drink coffee, I drink alcohol, I eat bad food as well as good food. I wouldn’t be a fan of juicing — I think it’s actually quite bad for you. But I would be a fan of taking it easy on all the obvious foods — processed and high in sugar. I am also a big fan of fats, I think they are really essential. I don’t buy the low-fat diet at all.

What’s your guiltiest pleasure?

I get quite obsessive, so I try not to be guilty about things.

What would keep you awake at night?

The NPR series Serial. It’s a podcast about the true story of a murder and journalist Sarah Koenig is trying to work out who did it. It’s the most addictive thing. I listen to an awful lot of radio podcasts and I listen a lot at night time. But I sleep very well.

How do you relax?

By getting away from children. They are so much fun and I love hanging out with them but they are anything but relaxing. I climb mountains, I run, all the normal stuff.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?

Cyd Charisse, a famous dancer in the 1940 who danced with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly; the Rubberbandits, and Studs Terkel, a radio broadcaster who documented the underbelly of American life in the ’50s and ’60s.

What’s your favourite smell?

Silage. I also quite like the smell of animal faeces. I did a study on otters and I love the smell of otter poo. And I adore the smell of horse manure.

What would you change about your appearance?

I’d like curly hair please. I’ve always wanted curly hair.

When did you last cry?

Two days ago when I was in Sligo. I was walking along a road, it was nearly snowing and my eyes were streaming it was so cold. And that’s my life on Ear to the Ground because we film during the winter.

What trait do you least like in others?

People eating apples or crisps in public spaces.

What trait do you least like in yourself?

I’ve got very sensitive hearing — I hear everything — and out of that I am very intolerant of sound.

Do you pray?

I understand the idea of prayer and think it’s a really nice idea. I will send postcards to people I know, but who I might not have seen [in a while]. I am quite a big fan of texting people. I think it’s really easy to forget that people like affirmations, especially people who are known for being particularly good at some things.

What would cheer up your day?

Leaving Dublin and going on to farms — I know that sounds like a really cheesy answer but it’s true. I’m not a big city person at all.