Fringe festival favourite dons scrubs again during COVID-19
TWO years after she quit nursing to become a full-time comedian, Adelaide’s Georgie Carroll has returned to her former role during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I thought I’d got out,” cackles Georgie, who was an RN for 18 years.
“It took me a long time to believe enough in myself and become a comedian. I never thought I’d go back to nursing, even though I love it.”
But with comedy gigs drying up following the COVID-19 lockdown, Britishborn Georgie, pictured, knew she had no choice but to put her burgeoning stand-up career on hold.
“After six weeks of not performing, I was like, ‘You know what? I can’t sit around and do nothing’,” says Georgie, who has returned to work at a her old northern suburbs public hospital.
“And I love it; I know I’m very lucky to be able to do it.”
Originally from Manchester, Georgie has been contact with some of her former colleagues back home who are doing it tough.
“They’re having a very difficult time. My background is intensive care and emergency ... it’s quite a horrific situation,” she says.
A panellist on TV shows such as The Project, Celebrity Name Game and Shaun Micallef’s Talkin’ ’Bout Your Generation, Georgie was set to perform two massive shows at the Melbourne Comedy Festival earlier this year before the event was cancelled.
She’s now rescheduled the gigs for November.
“People have already bought tickets, I think people are hopeful things will return to normal,” says Georgie.
“The thing I love the most is live stand-up – comedy is in my heart.
“I’ve just got to remind myself to get off the nursing at the end of this, you know?”