I just want time out, says RTÉ’s Michael Lyster

RTÉ legend Michael Lyster is planning on taking time out to enjoy his retirement after surviving a series of health scares left him feeling lucky to be alive.

The former Sunday Game presenter told Bobby’s Late Breakfast on Newstalk he feels like he had won the Lotto after surviving a life-threatening cardiac arrest three years ago.

Lyster, who retired from his role after 35 years, said he feels like he deserves some downtime after a traumatic few years with ill-health.

He said: “People are asking me: ‘What are your plans?’ Because of what I’ve been through, I had heart failure in 2012, I had what’s known as a mini stoke in 2013 and a cardiac arrest and all that in 2015.

“I have been through the mill health-wise to the extent now I have reached the natural end of my career in RTÉ, I just want timeout now. For a while.

“I know I will get bored. I know I will say: ‘Right, enough of that.’ I have plans outside RTÉ up until next March and we’ll see.”

The veteran presenter said he does not believe his retirement will hit him until The Sunday Game is back on our screens next year.

“I will be looking at Joanne Cantwell in the presenter’s chair and I’ll be thinking: ‘Hey, what’s going on here?’ ” said Lester.

“The year at the moment is as per normal for me. After The Sunday Game season, you have the Championship draw which I did, and the All-Star awards, which I did with Joanne.

“What would normally happen then is at the beginning of February the league programme would start and that would be me in January back in the swing of things.

“It’s not until I reach that point that I’m really out of the loop.”