We chatted to Glenda Gilson at the Virgin Media Television Spring launch about returning to work one month after she gave birth,.
The television presenter welcomed her first child, Bobby, two weeks early in October, just weeks before she was set to return to Ireland’s Got More Talent.
Speaking exclusively to Goss.ie, Glenda told us that she had to return to work shortly after giving birth, otherwise she wouldn’t have the job: “Well, I didn’t really have a choice, if I wanted the job I had to turn up. So, thankfully the producers were lovely with me and thankfully Bobby arrived two weeks early so it gave me that extra time.”
“If he had come on his due date or after, I would have been four or five days after giving birth and then filming Ireland’s Got More Talent, which really wouldn’t have worked. I don’t think I would have been in the right state of mind at all. But as I said, I was fine.”
“I was kind of in it, I knew what motherhood was at that stage, for a little bit. Then I got to film the show and I knew I’d be off, so to see someone else doing a job that you wanted to do I would have, you know, I would have wanted it.”
“So, that’s why I said ‘here I’ll do it. I’ll work hard for that time,’ and I have the support of my husband and my mom so it was great,” she added.
The mother-of-one also gave us an update on how her doting baby is doing:Â “They’re great, they’re great. I left my husband at home with the babs this morning. He got his injections yesterday, so of all nights…He is a great sleeper, he’s a great eater, but last night was a bit of a busy one. But Rob just said to me ‘it’s fine, everything is great’, so not a bother.”
Ireland’s Got Talent is set to hit screens on Virgin Media One next month and Glenda admitted that she was a bit nervous returning to work after giving birth: “It’s actually a really good job as far as jobs go. You go in in the morning, and this time I was a little bit nervous going back to work.”
“I had just had a baby, the thoughts of getting into different outfits and putting on makeup and being on-camera was a little bit daunting. But once I got in there it was absolutely fine and of course to be back with that team, and as I said, it doesn’t feel like work because you’re being entertained all day long.”
The star was excited to work with her co-stars again though:Â “Dying to get back in work with James, my ‘oul pal. Also to get with all the judges, with Denise and Jason and Louis, Louis is a good friend of mine, and Michelle and Lucy.”
Glenda also revealed that the show is different from last year, as she told us: “Like the different characters coming into the room, we speak to them before they got out and do their performance and then afterwards. There is such an eclectic mix in there and it’s even madder than last year, if that is even possible and I mean that in the best way.”
“It’s even more professional, there are people coming in that are brilliant singers. There are people coming in that think they’re brilliant singers, so there’s all that. There’s lots of talent and there’s lots of entertainment, let’s say.”
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The XPosé presenter added that although she was nervous about returning to work, she was also confident co-hosting with James, as they had done it before: “It felt like we had never left. I suppose we knew the whole running of it then. Everyone was more familiar with each other and I suppose you knew what the producers wanted a little bit more, so that always helps. But yeah, I’m really excited about it again this year.”
When asked if she had a favourite moment of the show so far, Glenda said that there is one specific act that everyone will love: “Yes. I can’t tell you though, because it would ruin it. But this act, there are two people in it, they’re family members, I’ll tell you that.”
“Every single person in your family, in my family, all of your families will enjoy it, from your granny to your baby. Because that’s the one thing about Ireland’s Got Talent, it’s a family show and maybe this is just because I had a baby, but I was very emotional when they were on-stage.”
“They’re lovely people as well and they’ve got a lovely story, so I can’t wait for you guys to see them when they’re on the show.”
Check out the interview below:
