Saturday with Elaine Crowley: 'I am not a morning person — I drink industrial amounts of coffee'

Elaine Crowley pictured in 2022, at the Virgin Media Television New Season Launch. Picture: Brian McEvoy

06.15

I get up between 6 and 6.30am, brush my teeth and ice my face with ice globes. I take my medication and then I put gel all over my face and microcurrent it with a NuFace device to alleviate puffiness and give my face a lift.

Sometimes I wake up and don’t feel like wearing the thing I’d planned to wear. Sometimes what seemed like a good idea the night before doesn’t work — it depends on the weather too. I like to wear dresses but sometimes you can’t beat jeans and a nice top.

I’ve been wearing some of the same brands for years. I love V by Very, Mint Velvet, River Island for jeans and Karen Millen for a treat.

07.00

I get up very early and I tend not to eat that early. I usually don’t have my first meal of the day until I’ve finished work. Around 7am I’ll jump in a taxi to work.

07.30

I’ll arrive into hair and makeup. I keep shoes and Spanx in work. I drink industrial amounts of coffee — I’m not naturally a morning person so I need to jolt myself awake. 

I might have an Americano with a shot of espresso in it — I need all the help I can get. I don’t really drink coffee outside of work. I’m a big tea drinker and have been having celery juice in the morning too.

12.30

I have a couple of really close friends in Dublin so I will often meet them for something to eat after work. 

I love The Cheeky Piglet in Dublin 8 and The Green Kitchen and Farmer Browns. I’ll try to have something with a good protein base — eggs or smoked salmon.

15.00

As I work on Sunday too I have to go home to do some study. I might have the remainder of a book to read, news to review, a movie to watch or to catch up on a series depending on who I am interviewing the next day. 

The work really has to be put in because it’s a long show on a Sunday. If a major news story breaks I also have to be on top of it straight away. 

While most people are winding down on a Saturday, it’s probably my busiest day of the week. I’m the world’s worst procrastinator — I think it’s the ADHD — anything that involves long term planning is not my forte, but under pressure I’m brilliant.

Pictured are Kamal Ibrahim, Presenter and Great Pink Run Ambassador and Elaine Crowley, Presenter and Breast Cancer Ireland Ambassador at the Dublin launch of 2022's Great Pink Run. Pic: Marc O’Sullivan

18.00

I tend to only have one big meal a day so if I’ve had a big lunch I will just have a snack later — it could be a toasted sandwich or a bowl of cereal. 

There’s a standing joke in work that I can’t cook. I’m good at poached eggs because I’m not allowed to leave them. 

If I have an opportunity to walk away from the cooker things will burn — I have been known to explode eggs I’ve been boiling. Salads are my friend because I can’t burn a salad.

My ideal Saturday would be spent at home in Cork with my sister Cathy and her boys faffing around, chilling out and having something nice to eat.

My schedule would be quite mad to most people who work 9 to 5. Even during the week I don’t have a regular sleep pattern which would be discombobulating for most people. 

People probably think I have a glamorous life as a presenter but most mornings I’m wrestling with a clothes steamer before I leave the house.

I avoid having a nap on a Saturday, I just go to bed earlier. I’ll stick on a movie or read a book — I like fantasy, you can’t beat Tolkien. 

I spend a lot of time on Facetime catching up with my family.

21.00

Staying up late is just not worth it for me when I’m working the next morning. The minute I come in the door I’ll be in my comfy zone in a tracksuit or furry pyjamas. 

I’ll get through my work and might stick on a series — I’m enjoying Shrinking on Apple TV.

Sometimes I forget to take my makeup off — I am that person. However, I am trying to do better and have started using facial oils to cleanse my face. 

I love Killarney Organic Skincare and try to support Irish brands where I can — my go-to foundation is Clarins but many of my other products are by Bellamianta.

I’ll go to bed at around 9pm but I might still be awake at midnight. Like a lot of people I will lie there scrolling on my phone. 

I will get a mad notion and want to find out everything there is to know about something.

00.00

I will fall asleep around midnight. I am happiest when I can utterly switch off and sleep well but I nearly have to be in a different country for that to happen. I’m a very ‘all or nothing’ kind of person.

• TV presenter, producer and MC Elaine Crowley is an ambassador for Breast Cancer Ireland and is currently in training for the Very Pink Run. Register for the Dublin (Aug 31), Kilkenny (Sep 1) or Cork (Sep 8) runs at verypinkrun.ie