HE’LL NEVER BE LOST FOR WORDS..
The on-stage live wedding proposal that put Daithi in a bit of a tizzy.. London entry Grainne tops the betting for contest
economics student said: “I have benign bone tumours throughout my body so basically I have extra bones.
“A normal human would have 206 bones as an adult and I have about 220. I’ve had a couple removed to help me Irish dance but I still have them all over my body.
“None of them are cancerous thankfully so I am in good health.” Kimberly lost her father after a 13-year
Texas Rose Kimberly battle with cancer and her dream was to start a nonprofit foundation to help families of cancer patients. A champion Irish dancer, she was taught by the former 2010 Texas Rose, Adrienne Hussey, who died from a brain haemorrhage in 2012 after moving to Ireland. Kimberly said: “She was one of my Irish dance teachers growing up so I watched her go through the whole Rose thing and was so enamoured of it all and she was such an amazing person and unfortunately we lost her a few years ago. Being here is really, really special to me to continue her legacy. It’s amazing. It’s so unbelievable.”
Mayo Rose Rachel Gibbons, 24, from Carnacon, had her own battles to get to the final after battling depression and anxiety as a teenager.
She said: “I never had the confidence to enter but this year I said I will give it a go. I have nothing to lose and all I can do is give it a try.
“It has been one of the best experiences of my life so far and I can’t wait.
“I’ve made the best of friends in the girls, like we are all joined at the hip. You can go and chat to every single one of them so it is amazing.”
Rachel encouraged any young person suffering depression to seek help. She added: “There is light at the end of the tunnel. Asking for help is one of the hardest things to do but once you get that ball rolling it’s going to get better.
“You always come out the other side if you can ask for help. I got the little bit of help I needed like counselling and thankfully I came out the other side and I’m here now.
“If I can get here anyone can. You have a good support network so ask for help and get the ball rolling. Once you take that one step it’s always going to be better.”
The Rose of Tralee airs on Monday and Tuesday at 8pm on RTE One.
news@irishmirror.ie Grainne, right IT’S no mean feat predicting this year’s winner but Ladbrokes are lending their weight to Grainne Hawkes – the London Rose – who is favourite with odds at 3/1.
The 26-year-old has three degrees (one undergraduate and two Masters) and is a qualified solicitor working for a global corporate law firm in the English capital.
The winner of the Rose of Tralee is usually a high achiever and with the backing of the Londonirish community it is understandable why Grainne is the favourite.
If you’re looking for an outside option, consider Suzie Jackson (Melbourne Rose) currently at 9/1 with Paddy Power, or if you fancy a proper flutter Jennifer Byrne go for Ellen Campbell (Tyrone) or Victoria Sexton (Florida ), listed at 50/1 and 40/1 respectively with Betfair.
A full list of your betting options are available online on various betting sites.
Officially, the festival classes itself as an observation and celebration of the “aspirations, ambitions, intellect, social responsibility and Irish heritage” of modern women and the festival denies any notion it is a beauty pageant.
Last year’s winner was Jennifer Byrne, a doctor from Co Offaly. Her odds were around 33/1 two weeks before the show began but they quickly shortened in the run-up to the competition.