Lottie Ryan has insisted it would be “detrimental” to compare herself to her father Gerry.
The 2FM presenter says she is now past the stage of being in his shadow after his death in 2010 but is still “in awe” of what he achieved and how he “had a gift”.
And the 26-year-old said she is now following her own path in life, after bagging her own early morning weekend show on the station.
Stepping out from the shadows: Lottie with father Gerry | VIPIRELAND.COM
She added: “I don’t feel like I’m in a shadow or following in footsteps, because I’m a different broadcaster, a different journalist to my dad.
“I don’t feel a pressure because we’re so different in so many ways. I’m at the very beginning of my career.
“And people who would try and draw a comparison are drawing comparisons with a man who was at the height of an incredibly successful show, and that’s just ridiculous.
“It doesn’t make any sense. Anyway it would be detrimental to my career and myself as a person to compare myself with him.
Family: Lottie and mum Morah and sister Bonnie | VIPIRELAND.COM
“It would be a really bad place for me to go to. I admire him and I am in awe of the things that he did, and that gives me encouragement, I suppose.”
But Lottie revealed she still listens her father Gerry – and reads his biography for advice.
She added: “I have about 20 years of recordings — and I listen to them.
“I like listening, and he has a book, which on reflection was an incredible gift to have, because it’s full of advice and lessons. So, I feel like I still have stuff. And that’s great.”
Plaque: Gerry remembered at RTE
Speaking to the Sunday Independent, Lottie added that she knows the public will always support him.
She said: “The public support around my dad as a broadcaster was incredible and I think that he will always live in the heart of the nation.”
And Lottie is grateful that RTE have marked his death with a plaque outside the radio centre.
She said: “Myself and my family were thrilled with the plaque. And we also know it meant a lot to his colleagues who worked with him.”
