This much I know: James Patrice - TV presenter and Snapchat star
I always knew there’d be an element of performance in whatever career I chose. I was incredibly shy as a child. That’s why my parents put me into speech and drama — it gave me the confidence to stop holding back.
Acting was certainly something that I always had on my horizon, and when I got my place to do Drama and Theatre Studies and French in Trinity I was beyond thrilled. The course lends itself to a multitude of different skills though, and I’ve found they’ve all helped me somehow in my career thus far.
My TV career came about thanks to a number of things. I did a TV presenting course after college which I loved, and then began to Snapchat and do some funny videos just for the craic. Then Snapchat took off in Ireland and I started to get quite a few followers from that. That led to some fashion pieces on TV and then RTÉ Junior asked me to appear in their kids show Dig in Diner, and RTÉ Social made me their ‘Rose Reporter’ for the Rose of Tralee, and the ball sort of started rolling from there.
My earliest memory is of my sister marrying me off to her favourite My Little Pony — and I was the bride.
I’m definitely glued to the phone a lot, but I’ve found myself being far more capable lately of separating work from life. While the two are very much intertwined for me, I’ve learned the importance of stepping back and not letting social media and work rule you. You actually perform better and appreciate your work more when it isn’t 24/7.
The best advice I ever received was ‘Keep ‘er lit’. Pure and simple. It’s something that I swear by every day and something that I find myself saying to others too. It’s short and sweet, but you get the gist.
The trait I most admire in other people is compassion — it costs nothing but carries so much power.
My main fault is that I worry a lot, which my family will probably vouch for. What’s funny is I could obsess over the tiniest little thing, but big things that may be happening with work don’t really phase me. I’ve started to live by the mantra that if something you’re worried about doesn’t really affect you or the people that matter to you, then it ain’t worth fretting over.
My idea of happiness is a nice sunny day, flat white in hand, having a browse around the shops (Penneys in particular). I’m very easily pleased.
My idea of misery is not being able to listen to music.
If I could be reborn as someone else for a day I’d be Joan Rivers (below). She was glamorous, fearless, and didn’t let a single thing get her down.
The thing that irritates me most about other people is those who change depending on who they’re hanging out with. I think we should all just try and be our true authentic selves.
My biggest challenge so far was doing Celebrity Operation Transformation. It was quite a turning point for me. I’d felt disconnected from my body for a few years and was angry with it, but I felt such liberation in taking charge of myself again. I remember worrying about standing there in my underwear in front of the entire nation, but it ended up being the most liberating thing in the world.
My main skill is that, apparently, I’m a very good listener, and can get people to often tell me things they wouldn’t tell others.
One thing I didn’t learn in school, which I wish I had, is the importance of not giving a feck about what other people think. It’s something that I started to get a grasp of around the age of 16, and it’s a truly revolutionary feeling.
I’m definitely a night owl person. I work better at night, as things seem to be a little calmer.
I absolutely believe in life after death. I think there’s something far more powerful and fabulous out there than we can even begin to get a grasp on.
So far life has taught me that you can’t prevent what you can’t predict — that’s a Desperate Housewives quote. But genuinely, as clichéd as it might sound, I’ve learned that you shouldn’t question or doubt your path, and that everything is just one big chain reaction. So, if something a bit crap is happening to you right now, it could very well be happening to make room for something extraordinary that’s coming your way. Like I said earlier — keep ’er lit.
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