Stephanie Roche

RTÉ pundit and international footballer

When you think of scary movies, what is the first one that comes to mind?

I used to be terrified of Halloween when I was younger. Michael Myers lived in my nightmares until very recently, I was genuinely terrified of that man. All through my adult years I have had dreams of him chasing me and trying to kill me! When I was younger my boyfriend and I used to go on dates to the cinema in Dún Laoghaire. Afterwards, I would get the DART home and he would get the bus but we used to always ring each other on the way home. One night, he jokingly said, “Who’s that man in the white mask behind you?” and I screamed and sprinted the whole way home. I absolutely killed him when I saw him next and he was full of apologies. Thinking back, it was probably an irrational reaction but I would have been so scared if I turned around and saw someone there, no matter who they were.

Do you believe in ghosts or the afterlife?

I lost my granny last January and she was someone that I was really close to. I had a couple of dreams about her after she died. My sister and I had a conversation about it and she asked if I thought my granny was with me. At times, especially when things are going wrong, I get that overwhelming feeling she is with me. It is a hard one, I think I believe in the afterlife more so than ghosts.

Do you have any superstitious beliefs?

I remember playing for Peamount United in the 2011 Champions League qualifiers and I always had to be behind Louise Quinn for the warm- up. I don’t think she realised I was doing it but we won every match so I continued it on. These days, there is a bit of a slagging because the “OAPs”, the older players, are always in one line. They change from time to time though, especially when you lose a match.