Less is Maura for John and myself...
Maura and John MAURA Derrane said keeping her marriage to Fine Gael TD John Deasy out of the limelight allows the couple to stay “individual” in their careers.
The RTE presenter and the Waterford deputy have been married for 13 years and have turned down several offers to be interviewed together.
And in an interview with Irish Country Magazine, Maura said she is “not an accessory” to her politician husband.
She added: “We have always felt it is much more important to keep our individuality when it comes to our careers..
“So many people have asked us to do interviews or to go on shows but we refused to do it.
“That is the way it was before we were ever married.”
With John splitting his time between Ireland and Washington as the Government’s special envoy to the US, Maura and her other half, who have five-yearold son Cal together, make their long distance relationship work.
She said: “There are so many other people like us right now, I don’t think we are special in anyway. John has been away an awful lot in the past few years, being back and forth to the States.
“Sometimes it’s not easy, but look, other people are away on oil rigs for months at a time. If one person is at home, it’s easier. Life is smoother.
“My mother was always at home when I was growing up and things do go smoother. If you have good childcare, which I do, then it is relatively easy.”
Maura also revealed her thoughts on growing older, saying she doesn’t think any woman is “ever really happy with exactly what they look like”.
She told the magazine: “I think we are very judgmental of ourselves. It’s a natural thing. I know I know we shouldn’t but there is no point pretending – we all do it.
“I am in my late 40s, I don’t look as good as I did 20 years ago. I am not hopping and leaping and going to the gym either, but I do take care of myself.
“I take a lot of supplements actually because I really believe that for me and the life I lead that it probably isn’t possible to have the perfect diet, otherwise I would just have to stay home and cook all the time.”
“Everybody should be straight shooters, and then everybody will know where they stand. I get on so well with my team. They know exactly what I feel.
“Irish people aren’t at all direct, they will say one thing to your face until you turn your back and they’re having a b***h about you.”