Doireann Garrihy has broken her silence on Jennifer Zamparelli’s shock departure from RTÉ 2FM.
Jennifer confirmed she was leaving the station on Thursday evening, following the recent departures of Doireann herself as well as The 2 Johnnies.
The 2FM Breakfast presenter has since taken to Instagram to share a sweet tribute to her fellow Dancing With the Stars co-host.
She share a sweet photo of the two on her Instagram Story, writing: “Off she marches😂.”
“We were passing ships in radio for years before I started on @dwtsirl – didn’t know eachother from Adam.”
She continued to confess she’s “so glad that’s changed!”
“You’re one of a kind @jenzamparelli 🖤. What a run📻❤️,” Doireann added.
The mother-of-two, who has been on extended leave over the past few weeks, revealed she decided to leave 2FM after 10 years in order to spend more time with her children.
The news was confirmed by RTÉ Thursday evening, revealing the radio station has now lost four of its top stars.
Jennifer has presented her own show from 9-12pm weekdays on RTÉ 2FM since May 2019. She joined the station in February 2014 on Breakfast Republic.
The presenter said: “I have been working in 2FM for 10 amazing years and now it’s time for me to move on. It has been a really difficult decision to make as I love my team, and of course chatting to you guys (the listeners) every morning.
“From the early starts on Breakfast Republic all those years ago, to opening up the phone lines again from 9-12pm, I have loved every minute. Within this time I have gotten married and had two kids and now I feel it’s their time.
“Florence and Enzo are growing up so fast it’s scary and I really feel now is the time to give them a little more of me, so I won’t be returning to my daily radio show.”
Jennifer also paid tribute to the team who have worked with her through her ten years at RTÉ 2FM.
“Thank you to all the producers and BCOs who helped over the years. Thank you to my team for all the support and the laughs.
“Thanks to Paul Russell and Dan Healy for being so understanding of me needing my family time and for the opportunity to be on 2FM for 10 years. I’m so excited to see what happens next with the station … I will be tuning in for sure,” she added.
The news came just days after Jennifer was forced to deny speculation she wouldn’t be returning to the station, amid rumours surrounding her future on the show.
Head of RTÉ 2FM Dan Healy said: “After an amazing 10 years on 2FM, Jen has decided to leave the station. Funny, bold, and brave, Jen has been front and centre of 2FM from The Breakfast Republic Show to her brilliant own Jennifer Zamparelli Show.
“In February 2014, 2FM changed direction to appeal to younger audiences and Jen was key to achieving our goal. I want to thank her deeply for her energy and commitment to 2FM.”
“It has been a privilege to work with such an amazingly talented person. I wish Jen, Lau and their gang all the best for the future and will cheer for Jen loudly in the next phase of her sparkling career.”
Dan continued: “Also, a big thanks to the producers who worked with Jen over the years – Dave Sherry on Breakfast Republic and Kate Proctor, Eithne Kelly, Anita Ward and Jon Jon Mehigan on The Jen Zamparelli Show and of course the rest of our colleagues who worked so hard on the shows.”
Doireann also announced her departure from the radio station earlier this month after five years, and will present her final 2FM Breakfast show on Friday, May 31st.
She took to Instagram to share the announcement and wrote: “After 5 years of 2FM Breakfast it’s time for ventures new.”
“Donncha and Carl, I have found brothers for life in you both. What an absolute blast of craic, ridiculous immaturity and lifelong bond building.”
“Anyone would be blessed to work with one gentleman every day, I was beyond blessed to work with two.”
“To the loyal 2FM listeners, through thick and thin you’ve been there. Your support has meant everything. There wasn’t a day I didn’t hop out of the bed at 5am. Thank you for welcoming me with open ears back in 2019 and every day since.”
“Producer Grace, you’re a boss, a queen, a friend for life. Willem, it’s been an absolute pleasure. Thank you to Dan Healy for meeting me in 2019 and taking a chance on me. I’m so glad you did.”
“Now, it’s time for my podcasts Doireann and Friends and The Laughs Of Your Life, to travel, to give more to the people who have been on this journey with me since the viral impressions video of 2016 and to pursue the projects I’ve been dreaming about.
“As we would say to our lovely callers on air, good luck and thanks,” she added.
Doireann joined the station in 2019, initially hosting the breakfast show alongside Eoghan McDermott.
But in March 2021, RTÉ confirmed that Eoghan had left his 2FM role after 3 weeks of “unplanned leave”.
Following multiple screen tests with different presenters, Doireann was subsequently paired up with Carl and Donncha.
Both Jennifer and Doireann co-host RTÉ’s Dancing with the Stars, but it’s currently unknown if either of the presenters will return to the show in 2025.
When asked whether Doireann would be continuing her co-host role on Dancing with the Stars earlier this month RTÉ told Goss.ie: “No decisions have been made regarding the next series of DWTS. Details about RTÉ’s Autumn and Winter schedules will be announced later this year.”
Since the news of Doireann’s departure from 2FM broke, industry insiders have questioned who could replace her on DWTS if she decides not to return.
A well-placed TV source told Goss.ie: “DWTS is already a shoe-in for 2025. It was such a success in 2024 there’s no doubt it’s coming back.”
“If Doireann doesn’t return it means producers will be scrambling for another co-host.”
“They have screen tested a lot of talent before they hired Doireann, including Vogue Williams, Brian Dowling, and Donal Skehan.”
The source added: “If Doireann was to be replaced producers are a big fan of Angela Scanlon. She did a great job on Strictly and is already a seasoned presenter.”
Previous presenters of the dancing show include Amanda Byram and Nicky Byrne, who have since handed over the reigns to Jennifer Zamperelli and Doireann Garrihy.
