Louise and her little miracle
2FM DJ is ready for work... but will miss her baby boy
SHE’S battled cancer, had her miracle first child, and even written a memoir – so it’s no surprise that radio presenter Louise McSharry is now just happy to get back to work.
The 32-year-old host has opened up about her return to 2FM following the birth of her son, Sam, and how she is keen to get ‘back to normal’.
Louise was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in August 2014, and was very open about her cancer battle. She also charted her fertility struggles and her decimated egg count due to chemotherapy in RTÉ2’s documentary, F*** Cancer.
But speaking to Irish Mail on Sunday, Louise says she’s now just looking forward and is delighted to return to her 2fm show. ‘I think I had a tiny bit of anxiety coming back but it was nothing compared to how I felt going back to work after being sick. That felt a lot more dramatic and I felt a lot more people were paying attention to me. This time I was just keen to get stuck in and back to normal.’
The straight-talking presenter and husband Gordon Spierin have a good balance when it comes to caring for their fivemonth-old.
‘We are really, really lucky because of my working hours and because my show is on in the evenings, our initial plan, which has been working well so far, is that Gordon starts work a tiny bit earlier and finishes work a little earlier. Then I do most of my prep at home and most of this is listening to music which isn’t too hard to do with a baby,’ smiles Louise. ‘Sam seems to be enjoying the process of selecting the songs as we walk around the house. Gordon comes home and we basically do a handover and I head into the RTÉ studios.
‘It’s full-on but we are really lucky.
‘I’m conscious that I am so lucky because for so many other parents this is not the way, as they have to put their children in crèches which of course, is absolutely fine. Some people can’t afford to go back to work as it’s simply too expensive’
Louise has also won widespread praise for her memoir Fat Chance, My Life In Ups And Downs and Crisp Sandwiches which was published last year, but her first love is music.
And she and her husband both hope that baby Sam picks up on their love of tunes.
‘I think I’d be disappointed if Sam didn’t have an interest. Both myself and my husband love music and we go to a lot of gigs and festivals and always have done throughout our relationship. Gordon plays the guitar and there’s always music so if Sam grew up not loving it, then yes, we would be surprised,’ laughs Louise. ÷Louise’s show is RTÉ 2FM, Sunday to Thursday at 8pm.
‘I had a tiny bit of anxiety going back’