Lucy Kennedy: The people I talked to were all very nice — they just like to get into a rubber suit

The bubbly mother-of-three chats family life, missing lockdown and her new investigative show which sees her exploring what Irish people are getting up to in the bedroom

Lucy Kennedy: I think I was born to have a slightly insane life. Picture: Andres Poveda

Lucy Kennedy has no idea about the source of her megawatt energy and exuberance.

“I don’t know how I do what I do,” she says when I finish listing her upcoming projects. “But I do it with ease and with gusto.”

The 46-year-old TV presenter and radio host loves describing herself as the “Irish Bridget Jones”, but I am not sure our beloved Bridget could ever pull off quite as much as Lucy does.

When we chat, she’s taking several calls from journalists to help promote a free cholesterol check today, October 7, as part of a Benecol campaign which will see her availing of the test via livestream. She’s already done four hours of her daily breakfast radio show with Colm Mayes on Classic Hits Radio. She’s also promoting her most-recent instalment of her children’s book series, The Friendship Fairies (she’s on book four now, with two more on the way in the coming months), and she has new TV series on the way — a four-part investigative series and the return of the ever-popular Livin’ with Lucy.

“I think I was born to have a slightly insane life,” she says. “I work hard, but in fairness, I also relax hard. I take breaks. I took pretty much the whole month of July off to sunbathe topless in my backyard.”

The mother of three says she has booked off mid-term too, which she plans to spend with her husband, Carlowman Richie Governey, children Jack (12) Holly (10), Jess (five), and her rescue dog, Riley, whom the family adopted two years ago.

“Let’s be honest, Riley is my [other] daughter,” she laughs, “I just didn’t birth her.”

The golden labrador entered the Kennedy household during lockdown in winter 2020. While it was a grim time for many, the Sandycove native admits she misses it.

“We’re all guilty parents rushing around trying to do everything. But, during lockdown, I was there every day.

“When the kids went back to school, I could kiss them when they went off. I miss that.”

Despite her bubbly exterior, Lucy says she struggled to return to the work in those early days back in the studio.

“I was exhausted for about a month. It took me ages to get back into the swing of things.”

Like every other mother

The presenter says she is “not a sociable person” despite the fact she loves her job and the people she meets.

“I rarely put on makeup, I rarely bother making an effort. I am very much a home bird. I’m not a glitzy, glamorous red-carpet person unless I’m trying to sell something. It’s not natural to me.”

Livin’ with Lucy in her Sandycove home would be “boring” she says.

“I know it sounds strange because I absolutely adore people, I love talking, and I love life; but at home, I’m like every normal working mother. I’m nagging. I’m cleaning up dog poo. I’m hoovering every two seconds, shouting at the kids to make their beds, asking at 7am what everyone wants for dinner, shopping, cleaning, wiping bottoms.”

Speaking of Livin’ with Lucy, filming for the sixth Virgin Media One series starts in two weeks, but the presenter insists she doesn’t know who she will be living with.

“I’ve been with Adare Productions (which films the show) for the last 10 years. The longer we are together, the less they tell me because I am a mouth. If I knew who I was living with, I would tell you.

“I’ve ruined so many launches. I’ll probably find out who I’m living with two days before. Because I will tell everyone in the schoolyard, I’ll tell people when I am filling my petrol — I tell everybody everything.”

As for who she hopes she might be moving in with, Lucy says Cork-born TV presenter Graham Norton would be a dream, as would singer Adele. “I feel like she’s one of us”.

Belfast heartthrob Jamie Dornan is also on her list “for obvious reasons”, and English presenter and fitness guru Davina McCall.

“I love normal people who have extraordinary lives, but are good craic. They’re just like us, except they’re minted,” she says with a laugh.

Lucy Kennedy with beloved pooch Riley. Picture: Leon Farrell / Photocall Ireland

Standing out

Surprisingly, living in celebrity homes is not what has left Lucy feeling uncomfortable lately, but “normal” people who she encountered while filming her new investigative series Lucy Investigates.

The show sees Ireland’s favourite girl-next-door land herself in the inner circle of some of the country’s most fascinating subcultures, from sex clubs in the suburbs to deciphering what goes into an Instagram post.

“The people I talked to on the show were all very nice and very normal — they just like to get into a rubber suit.”

Despite the cheeky persona some of us may remember from her Podge & Rodge stint, Lucy says the main takeaway she had from filming that particular episode was: “I am the weirdo, the nerd. I’m the one who’s living this very sheltered vanilla life.

“A lot of people are out there really living it up and doing nothing wrong.

“And I think it’s good the documentary shows you that. It might encourage people to get out there and buy a whip.”

The presenter says the first episode of the new show, which looks at Irish people’s sex lives, is not one for younger viewers.

“When I watched [that episode back], I laughed [at myself] the whole way through. It would have been similar to putting an alien into this lovers’ party, I looked so out of place. I stand out like a sore thumb. Even though I’m wearing a mask in some scenes, you can see my nerdiness on the telly.”

The episode exploring how Irish people are living life online was another eye-opening filming experience for the star.

“It made me think I need to up my game,” she says.

“The amount of work and attention they give a post compared to me... I change the font and think I’m wild.”

Lucy says she believes the Irish public will be “shocked” by how much online influencers can earn.

Cotton wool

I ask her whether any of her kids are on social media yet.

“No, no,” she says, the tiger mom coming out in force. “I will not let them near social media.”

After some hesitation, she adds, “yet”.

“The longer I can wrap them up in cotton wool, the better. But I suppose the world is changing and children, unfortunately, have more access to things — even ‘the talk’ in school is now being done a little bit younger than before.

“So I have to move with the times. Unfortunately, I can’t keep them frozen forever, even though I want to press freeze.”

Her eldest son recently got a phone after Lucy learned that his protestations of “everyone else has one” were, in fact, correct.

Her youngest, Jess, recently started school.

They’re growing up. But Lucy still reads her books to her girls and says she believes her writing will always be in the children’s genre.

“I am immature. Even when my children are older, I think I’ll always be able to tap into a child’s mind. I am never going to grow up.

“I am basically Peter Pan with kids.”