MIRIAM O’CALLAGHAN has officially ruled herself out of the running for The Late Late Show presenter role.
In a statement on Twitter today, O’Callaghan said she was making the statement “just to stop all the questions, including from my wonderful mum”.
Current presenter Ryan Tubridy said last week that he was stepping down from the rule, leading to fevered speculation about who would be putting their name in the ring.
O’Callaghan, who is presenter of Prime Time and a Sunday morning radio show, said in her statement that Tubridy “has done a superb job” of presenting the Late Late for 14 years.
She said the show “is an incredible programme” and “an institution stitched into the fabric of Irish life”.
However, O’Callaghan said that while the speculation is flattering, she will not be throwing her hat into the ring to be considered.
“I love what I do too much on Prime Time to leave it, and what we do in current affairs as a team really matters, and can actually change lives. It’s what I love doing most of all as a broadcast journalist, and I’m not prepared to give that up for any show.”
She noted that she had presented the Late Late Show twice in the past and “loved the experience”.
A little news - just to stop all the questions, including from my wonderful Mum 🥰 pic.twitter.com/9nTp5A5baW
— Miriam O'Callaghan (@MiriamOCal) March 21, 2023
Ryan Tubridy announced he was stepping down last week, telling RTÉ Radio 1’s Today with Claire Byrne programme that he could “give 50 reasons” for his decision to leave – but the “most soulful” one was that “when you know, you know, and I know”.
The presenter described the impact that his 14 years as the face of the programme has had on his life and his family’s lives.
“When you’re The Late Late Show presenter, you belong to a lot of people, whether it’s on the street or in the pub of the coffee shop.
“That’s part of the joys of it when you’re the guy, but when you’re the family of that person, it’s always tricker, and I think another five or ten years of that would be punishment for them.”
He will continue to present his daily morning radio show on RTÉ Radio One.
Tubridy will present his final Late Late Show on 26 May.
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