Gaybo: ‘I’ll be back behind the mic later this year’
GAY BYRNE insists he isn’t ready to hang up his mic just yet – and will return to his popular show on Lyric FM this year.
The legendary broadcaster, who has been battling cancer for over two years, acknowledged that the illness has taken a toll on him, admitting: ‘The life I knew has changed forever.’
But the 84-year-old said he remains optimistic about the new year – and says hosting his beloved weekend radio show once again on Lyric FM remains one of his primary ambitions.
He said: ‘Ideally I would like to get back to doing my Sunday afternoon radio show on Lyric FM, but my wife and daughters tell me I’m not ready and won’t let me do it.
‘I may not make it back in January, but it is my intention to do it, so we will see how things go.
‘It’s only a small radio show, but like with any job, you have to be in the proper form to do it.’
Speaking to the RTÉ Guide back in November, Gay’s wife of 50 years, Kathleen Watkins, aired her concerns about him returning to work. She said: ‘I’m there every day and I believe that for a man of 84 who is going through what he is going through, I don’t think it would be good to go back right now.’
The former Late Late Show presenter had to step down from RTÉ in 2016 after a prostate cancer diagnosis.
Kathleen Watkins said: ‘Gay loves radio so much and would love to be doing his Sunday thing, but while he goes out walking every day, some days he’s exhausted.
‘Of course, people would love him to go back on radio but I’m with the person, the patient, day in, day out and I know what’s best for him.’
She added that his treatment has not been easy.
The broadcasting icon, who is also recovering from two hip replacement surgeries, has spoken about having to adapt to new lifestyle changes since his cancer diagnosis.
He explained: ‘If I had known ill health during my life I would probably have been better able to cope with being sick.
‘The life I knew has changed forever. I can no longer ride my bike. I walk with a crutch, and am curtailed in my diet. The treatment is very heavy, and it really sets you back on your heels. But having said all that, I’m still here, and looking forward to the new year.’
Gay’s career in broadcasting began on radio in 1958. He went on to host The Late Late Show on RTÉ TV for 37 years from 1962.
But in an interview with Ireland’s Own, he admitted the flagship show, the brainchild of producer Tom McGrath, almost never made it past its first series – because viewers had never seen
‘My wife tells me I’m not ready’
anything like it before.
Gay explained: ‘Tom [McGrath] had been working for a Canadian television station and had seen The Tonight Show in the States, and wanted to produce something similar in Ireland. Initially, it was to be a summer filler, and he wanted me to present it. I accepted it and it first aired on July 6, 1962, and it was detested by everyone!
‘The viewers thought they were turning into a variety show like they would see in the local parish hall. They hated the idea of a talk show. But eventually the tide turned.’
Gay added: ‘After I got married, we were living in London and Conor Bruckheimer, who was the controller of programmes in RTÉ, came to visit us, and asked me to come back to do the show and live in Dublin full-time.
‘I said “yes”, but on the condition that I was my own producer. I wanted complete control. He took to the idea like a duck to water, and I returned as producer and presenter. I would host the show for 37 years.’
The interview with Gay will appear in the January 11 edition of Ireland’s Own.
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‘Viewers hated idea of a talk show’