Louise McSharry tackles her weight issues and troubled upbringing in new book

Fat Chance is Louise McSharry’s tale of her troubled upbringing and life-affirming acceptance, writes Sue Leonard

Louise McSharry is pregnant. Ecstatically happily married to Gordon, a producer for RTÉ TV, the 2FM DJ can barely believe her good fortune. Why? Well, mostly because of the label, Fat girl, which has dogged her throughout her life.

It started, aged five, when her mother, looking at her sagely, put her on a diet. At the time that was the least of Louise’s problems. With her father dead from cancer, her mother, Dee, was descending into alcoholism, and Louise was trying to protect her brother and cover the truth.