Late Late Show talking points, from Girl Power to Ronan Keating's response to Louis Walsh
Nicola Coughlan and Mel B on the Late Late Show
Spice Girl Melanie Brown, better known as Mel B or Scary Spice, spoke to Kielty about her memories with the ‘90s girl group as well as the harrowing experience of being in an abusive relationship for 10 years.
“I screamed ‘Girl Power’. Yet for 10 years, I was Girl Power-less,” she said, describing how her former partner isolated her from her family and friends. Brown said she finally left the relationship after promising her father as he was dying that she would divorce her partner.
“It was a promise that I had to follow through with. I don’t know if it wasn't for that incident would I have left my abuser. I don't know if I would have had the strength but my dad gave me that strength.”
She has since written a book about her experience and has campaigned for more awareness around abuse.
“I’m campaigning for all the survivors out there because abuse can happen to anyone. And you don’t find abuse, the abuser finds you no matter who you are, how much money you have, what colour you are, what age you are — if an abuser wants to get you, they will.”
We’re loving all the fangirling going on tonight ❤️❤️❤️#latelate pic.twitter.com/3ZSfohKG0s
— The Late Late Show (@RTELateLateShow) March 22, 2024
Bridgerton and Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlan next joined the line-up and much of the segment was filled with Coughlan and Brown fangirling over each other. Coughlan, a huge Spice Girls fan since childhood, was shocked to learn Brown had been nervous about meeting her.
“I knew if I met you, I was going to be a weirdo and starstruck and fangirling,” Brown said. “My kids are going to think I'm so cool now that I'm sitting beside you, honestly, I absolutely adore you.”
A stunned Coughlan reacted: “This makes no sense to me at all.”
Brown even took over much of Kielty’s interviewing, interjecting with questions as she was so enamoured with Coughlan and genuinely wanted to know more about her upcoming projects and more.
As Brown quizzed Coughlan on all things Bridgerton, a show known for some spicier scenes, she asked if Coughlan was nervous about the intimate scenes we can expect in the upcoming season which focuses on her character Penelope’s love life.
“It’s pretty scary, I won't lie, but that's a big part of the show,” she admitted. When Kielty asked if it would be safe to watch with his 83-year-old mammy, Coughlan revealed she requested a special edit of the show for a similar reason.
“I have requested a special PG version. People think I'm lying but it's actually written in my contract. I just don't feel like that's what I want to sit around and watch as a family. But it’s fine, we have a special version just for mammy.”
She joked if her mother wants to watch “the real deal” she’ll have to watch it on her own Netflix account.
😂😂😂#latelate pic.twitter.com/J1CSk61D7N
— The Late Late Show (@RTELateLateShow) March 22, 2024
Comedian Martin Beanz Ward made his Late Late debut and shared his personal journey of coming out as gay. But before that, his toughest chat was revealing his career path to his father.
“I had to come out to my father as a comedian,” he joked. Ward said he came out as gay in 2016 and his grandmother was more supportive than expected.
“I was sat down with her one day and she said that ‘you need to settle down’. And I said ‘you know I like fellas? I like lads?’ And she said ‘as long as you love yourself as much as you love the other person it doesn't matter because Jesus loves you anyway’.”
Ward said he was impressed by “her in her 80s to say something as progressive as that”.
Finally, Ronan Keating joined the chat show with his sister to discuss 25 years of the charity they set up in his mother’s memory to raise awareness around cancer.
His sister Linda described the years since the charity was established as “a rollercoaster, it’s been a journey”.
“We've had over half a million people step onto our unit. That is amazing. If we meet one person in one day and we help to save their life, that's our job done.
On the topic of Louis Walsh, who had some choice comments to make about Keating from the Celebrity Big Brother House, Keating chose to take the high road.
“I've never been one to air my dirty laundry in public, especially when it comes to Louis and myself. He does a very good job of that and I think he's shown his true colours in there and I’ll leave him be, I’ll let him do that.”
