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Dermot O'Leary: 'I was bullied for being Irish at school… it wasn't nice'

TV star Dermot O’Leary has revealed how he was bullied at school for being Irish.

The X Factor judge admitted he was “teased mercilessly” and “slaughtered” at his sixth-from college in England when Ireland famously took on England in football.

But Dermot, 41 – who revealed it was extremely tough to deal with – was delighted when the match in Italy ended in a 1-1 draw.

“Growing up over here [in England] the Irish football team, especially the 1990 football team, was huge for me,” he said.

“I remember getting teased mercilessly at college, sixth form college I was at. I remember Ireland played England and I got teased mercilessly.

xfactjudges

TV: Dermot works with the X Factor judges

“And even though I sound English, when I am around my parents I slip into – not an accent by any means – but a dialect. And everyone knew, especially being the age I am, you carry it a bit more on your sleeve.

“And I was – and am – a very proud Irishman. But all that week leading up to it I got slaughtered, and some of it wasn’t nice. But when Kevin Sheedy equalised it was the greatest football moment for me.”

And speaking on the Irishman Abroad podcast to Jarlath Regan, Dermot revealed he never got dual citizenship and was so proud at hosting an event when President Michael D Higgins visited England.

He said: “I don’t have dual citizenship. My parents got me an Irish passport – and one of the things I was most proud of this year was when they did the [state dinner] for the President when he came over.

“I was hosting and kind of compering the evening and they asked me to a piece to kick it off. Which was a big deal, because it is a big responsibility to do it, but for a second generation man to do it as well.

X Factor presenter Dermot O'Leary seen leaving his hotel ahead of the X Factor auditions

Passport: Dermot never got himself dual citizenship with England

“I suppose it was kind of fitting but you had to really set the tone of the night. But I didn’t want to be a rebel-raiser, or pretend to be something I wasn’t.”

And Dermot says that one thing he wanted to bring to the event was his family’s view of never hating the English after his parents were accepted at a time of extreme friction between the two countries.

He added: “I’ve always been brought up Irish, but I’ve never been: wrap yourself in a tricolour and go to sleep at the end of the night.

“My parents were always accepted very much over here, and my parents came over in the age of, ‘no dogs, no blacks, no Irish’.

“And my dad is from good old Republican stock, and they were welcomed – maybe not with open arms – but they never found any problem coming over here. And they always brought me up to be very respectful of that.”

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