Radio star Neil Prenderville has claimed being caught fondling himself on a jet had made him more in touch with his listeners.
The Cork radio star – who recently moved to Red FM – said he has now learned from his mistake after he “lost touch”.
The 52-year-old hit the headlines in 2010 after he drunkenly engaged in a sex act on an Aer Lingus flight home to Cork from London.
But Neil, who has two kids, insisted he has changed since the uproar over his antics.
“I was heavily under the influence of drink but now I am completely off drink. I learned from my mistake and I had to take a long hard look at myself and where I was going.
“I had success and money and I lost touch with reality to the extent my relationship with alcohol definitely had spiralled out of control. I was actually obnoxious and I needed to change, which I did.
“I paid a heavy price but it was really the hurt I caused [my wife] Paula and my children that was the hardest to bear.
“But the past is the past and now I believe I am a better person, particularly on air where I am not quite as quick to judge people or to pass judgement on them.”
Demons: Neil believes 2FM has never recovered from his death | RTE
Neil also told the Irish Sun that he believes 2FM have never recovered since Gerry Ryan’s passing, adding he was a “tormented soul whose demons got the better of him”.
He said: “I think those demons made him a better broadcaster and certainly 2FM has never recovered from his loss.
“He had the common touch, the ability to get right inside people’s heads and to get them talking.
“It was so sad when Gerry died. Our demons grab all of us, but unfortunately he was not able to get rid of his demons.”
