I don’t want to be known as the ditzy one off TV so I’m going back to college
Winning Streak star Sinead studying for her Masters degree
Winning Streak’s Sinead and Marty RTE star Sinead Kennedy has revealed she’s going back to college to avoid being labelled the “ditzy” one off TV.
Presenting Winning Streak for the past nine years has been the 33-yearold’s bread and butter but she also likes to be taken seriously and not just as a sidekick.
On a more serious level Sinead has fronted a number of TV documentaries, including Skin Deep (on the love of tattoos), The Only Gay In The Village (about being gay in rural Ireland) and the awardwinning The Crossing (about immigrants rescued by the Irish Navy).
Sinead told the RTE
Guide: “Apart from the I’m also studying for a Masters degree in mental health science which is another element for someone who might be pigeonholed as the ditzy one with the dresses and the jazz hands.” Her Twitter biog reads: “TV presenter/ reporter with RTE, The Crossing & Winning Streak, wife, dog lover, wannabe surfer and explorer.”
She explained: “People can sometimes perceive you in a certain way so it’s nice to show I can do other stuff as well.”
Sinead, who is married to naval officer Conor Kirwan, joined Marty Whelan on Winning Streak in 2011 and the pair will celebrate the 1,000th episode on February 24. The RTE One programme is the RTE Guide longest-running game show in Europe after Channel 4’s Countdown.
Speaking about the formula for its success, Sinead said: “Winning Streak is absolutely not about us, you leave yourself at the door and help these people to get through the following hour or so as they try to win loads of money.”
As for why the TV couple work so well together, Sinead said: “People look at us and probably think, chalk and cheese.”
Marty added: “Well, we are different people, of course Sinead has a better moustache than me.
“We are a reality show without hurting anybody and I think people get that.
“All you have to do is mention a county and the audience starts screaming like they’re at a GAA match”. The 61-yeardocumentaries, old, who also presents the Eurovision Song Contest and hosts Marty In The Morning on RTE lyric fm, insists it’s crucial in the world of broadcasting to be a jack of all trades.
He added: “I think you always need to have other strings to your bow in this business.”
The Winning Streak duo often get shouted at on the streets by excited fans reciting the show’s catchphrases.
The RTE show is so loved in the homes of thousands around the country that it’s tough for Sinead and Marty to escape the popularity.
Marty gets people calling on him to “Spin that wheel”, while Sinead is bombarded with calls saying “Show me the money”.
ON HER TELEVISION VERSATILITY
People can perceive you in a certain way, so it’s nice to do other stuff SINEAD KENNEDY