Grainne Seoige has admitted she was “blown away” by the support she received, after opening up about her “ice queen” label.
Back in 2019, the TV presenter confessed the label “really hurt” her during an appearance on Living with Lucy.
Speaking on Ireland AM this week, the 47-year-old said: “I was blown away by the love and support that I received after the show aired.”
Grainne confessed: “[I was] genuinely touched and surprised by how many people said, ‘We never thought that about you.'”
“I got hundreds and hundreds of messages like that which was really really lovely and I still get them.”
“I think Living With Lucy did make an impression on people,” she said, before praising the show’s host Lucy Kennedy.
“I didn’t feel vulnerable at the time because she has such a lovely warm nature about her and I didn’t really know Lucy at all before she came out.”
“She knows my sister Sile but I’d only ever met her at the TV Now Awards,” she explained.
“She has such a wonderful warm way about her that it felt easy to talk about these things and I’m glad I did because I think people appreciated the honesty of it.”
“And I am fundamentally private but sometimes it’s good to air these things and solve them and sort of draw a line under them.”
Over the past few years, the TV presenter has lived in Pretoria, South Africa with her husband Leon Jordaan – where they set up her diamond jewellery business.
However, the Galway native decided to return to her home country last year, so she could be closer to her family.
The couple are living in Grainne’s hometown of Galway, just 20 minutes away from her parents in Spiddal.
Their move was also influenced by the fact that Grainne’s jewellery business, Grace Diamonds, has a predominantly Irish customer base.
Despite being busy running her jewellery business, Grainne teased the possibility of returning to Irish TV screens now that she’s back in Ireland for good.
The broadcaster said: “I’d love it if it was the right thing. Everyone is very busy and time is very precious so I think it would have to be the right thing.”
“But I love television, I’ve been doing it for nearly 25 years. And for the right project I’d love to get back into it.”
