Shape I'm in - Colm O'Gorman, Amnesty International

As executive director of Amnesty International Ireland, Colm O’Gorman is immediately recognisable as the man who passionately represents the disenfranchised. 

But up until TV3’s latest Celebrity Masterchef Ireland, few would have known that he’s also passionate about cooking.

He didn’t have to be asked twice to participate. “Cooking is one of my great joys, so the opportunity to have hopefully a number of weeks with two extraordinary chefs that’s like the best holiday anybody could offer,” says the 50-year-old.

His interest in cooking started at a young age, serving up dinner to his entire family at the age of 11. “It was a vegetable pie — layers of vegetables in a beautiful cheese mornay sauce — from a Rose Elliot cookbook, Not Just a Load of Old Lentils. It became a bit of a favourite.”

Married to Paul, they have two children, Seán, 20, and Safia, 17. Their home is a costal refuge in Co Wexford.

“We’re blessed in that we live about 5km north of Gorey down a little dirt laneway that ends with a beach that’s 3k long. If you go out the door, down the lane, the full length of the beach and back it’s about seven and a half kilometres. And it’s a joy.”

n Celebrity Masterchef Ireland, TV3, Mondays, 9pm

What shape are you in?

I’m in better shape now at 50 than I was at 25. By 2007 I knew I needed to lose weight but didn’t realise how bad things had gotten. I was 103kg, over 16 stone. I now try to run from the house to the beach and back four or fives a week. I’ve also done a couple of endurance races, the Gaelforce West in Connemara.

What are your healthiest eating habits?

I’ve gone back to my farmer roots and I have my dinner in the middle of the day. That’s the thing that has helped me keep on top of my weight.

What are your guiltiest pleasures?

Red wine and good food, which isn’t a guilty pleasure. I love Italian or Spanish wines. Amarone, the beautiful Italian grape, is one of my favourites. You won’t get it for less than €20 a bottle, so it’s not one I drink very often.

What would keep you awake at night?

Work can keep me awake. I try to make sure it doesn’t, but it can. I don’t worry that much.

I’ve generally worked in roles that bring with them a fair degree of responsibility and therefore could bring a lot of stress. so you learn how to manage those.

How do you relax?

Food, running, spending time with family, watching TV, and drinking red wine. Hopefully with some level of balance achieved between them all.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?

My dad — he died 21 years ago last December. He and I had quite a distant relationship for most of my life. About 10 months before he died we became really close — he was really instrumental in my decision to come forward and report the abuse I had experienced as a teenager. I’d also love to sit down with Rosa Parks, Wolfe Tone, Countess Markievicz, Parnell, and Mandela. That would be an interesting evening.

What’s your favourite smell?

There’s a moment when you’re cooking when you get to roast and grind your spices, then you toss them into that hot oil, and about 30 seconds later you just get a faceful of... joy.

What would you like to change about your appearance?

I wouldn’t mind being a bit fitter. These days I’m increasingly surprised when I look in the mirror and don’t see a 30-year-old looking back at me. But it’s not something that bothers me. If I was to have a vanity moment, I would like my hair back thanks very much.

When is the last time you cried?

I’m ridiculous, things move me all the time. The last time I came close to it, I was on Prime Time. There was a package from Ballaghaderreen on the refugee issue. I really want to go up and bake something and sit down and have a cup of tea and a slice of something with shopowner Mary Gallagher, because she is just the most extraordinary woman.

What traits do you least like in others?

Cruelty — the capacity to humiliate for sport.

What trait do you least like about yourself?

A combination of impatience, and occasionally I need to remind myself to take a breath and just reflect for another moment.

Do you pray?

No. A few years ago I reminded myself I do want to take a moment every day to just notice something beautiful — that, I suppose, for want of a better word, is how I pray.

What would cheer up your day?

Having a moment of levity. When you are working with challenging, difficult, and, at times, very distressing material or circumstances or experiences you have to bring light to it.