Lucy Kennedy: 'The greatest challenge I’ve ever faced was giving birth'
'I am probably best at being a mum. I love it and feel very comfortable in the role.' Picture: Leon Farrell / Photocall Ireland
I'm the middle of three girls. We grew up in sunny Sandycove and I loved it. We had such a fun house. My sisters and I are extremely, and luckily, close. My older sister, Anna, lives five minutes away and our younger sister, Gemma, lives in New York. We all become teenagers again when we get together.
I think that what I do suits my personality because I genuinely love people. My earliest memory is of when I was aged three and in my granny’s house in England, where we stayed a lot, and I was standing on a bed in my pyjamas waving at people. I remember it like it was yesterday. I just love meeting a stranger and sometimes ending up friends.
I am genuinely curious about a person and I like to get to know them. People are fascinating. We’re all just so different. It’s one of the reasons why I love filming . Every time the front door is opened to me, it’s a brand new celebrity. People laugh when I say that I have a shy side but I do. I just hide it very well.
The greatest challenge I’ve ever faced was probably giving birth. I underestimated female strength until I went into labour that first time in 2009. I always wanted to be a mother and to have three babies. Thank god that it happened and I’m so grateful because those three beautiful babies are my proudest achievement. I think that most parents would feel like that. I am just so proud of them, they are really nice people and make me laugh every day. They look very similar but the three of them are completely different. I often wonder what they will be like as adults, but once they are kind and happy, then so am I.
I am probably best at being a mum. I love it and feel very comfortable in the role. Don’t get me wrong, it’s exhausting but so rewarding. I still feel excited collecting them from their schools. I miss their mornings during the week because I’m in Classic Hits on the breakfast show, so I love being the first person that they see after their school day. I love all of the news and chats.
I love it when I see people relax in my company. No one is better than anyone in life and I like to see the best in people. Especially now, after the year that we’ve all had.
I think my only quality is my ability to disarm and relax people quickly in my company. I get it from my mum. I watch the way she interacts with people and she just has a lovely way. Like me, she talks to everybody and is always smiling.
My husband, Richie, is the person I turn to most. He gives me great advice and comfort. We have been together for 23 years now. He is consistent, solid, and wise — everything that I’m not. But it's because we are so opposite that we work. We have the same sense of humour and morals so our foundation is the same. He has a lovely, easy, calm way about him that I really admire.
The greatest advice I’ve ever been given is don’t over pluck your eyebrows at a young age. Mine took ages to grow back. I mean AGES. I used to sit in front of the telly watching with tweezers in one hand. I had to draw them in for years so I’ll never overpluck again.
What surprises me most is when people are rude. I don’t know why but it really takes me aback. I don’t get it. Especially when it’s with aggression, I just don’t understand people like that. There’s never any need to be rude, no matter what. Deep breathing is what I always try to do to avoid it.
Like everyone, I’m scared of my health. I’m scared of ever becoming seriously sick, where I can’t get up and about. I think it happens when you become a parent, you worry about not being around someday. I try not to let in that worry but it happens now and again.
If I took a different fork in the road I would have definitely become a psychotherapist. I did a foundation course in psychotherapy eight years ago and I loved it but it was a hard course to study while on live TV every day. I still might return to it someday as the interest is still there for me. It’s something that I feel drawn to. The lesson I would pass on is for people to remember that it’s okay not to know what you want to be when you do your Leaving Cert. Honestly, I didn’t find my perfect job until I was in my late 20s, so I don’t like to see young people panicking.
- Lucy Kennedy has teamed up with One4All's campaign to thank teachers nationwide. One4all's Thank You Teacher Gift Cards are loadable from €15 to €150 and are available online or from your local Post Office, Tesco, Circle K, or selected PostPoints nationwide.
