Joanne McNally has confessed that she may not have pursued comedy without hitting “rock bottom”.
The 33-year-old battled bulimia in her early 20s, and revealed that had she not been out of work on sick leave, she “never would have had the balls” to quit her PR job in order to pursue her dream of being a stand-up comedian.
“I hit rock bottom with my eating disorder and then went to get treatment,” she told the Herald.
“I didn’t actually leave a job to go into stand-up, I was already not working. I was on sick leave so that made it a lot easier. Because I was sick I also needed a change of scene and was dipping my toe in.”
“I started doing gigs and offers came in and suddenly I was a comedian. I never would have had the balls to just go, ‘right that’s it, I’m jacking in my job’. I would be too sensible and too insecure and unsure of myself to do that. It worked out in the end anyway.”
Joanne is currently developing a show with BBC Three, and is dividing her time between Dublin and London.
“I’ve no idea where I’m headed but that’s the exciting part. I’d like to establish myself here more and then go to the UK.
“I don’t want to lose the work I have here. You could go to the UK and it could take you a year or two to get established there and suddenly you have no visibility anywhere,” she said. “I don’t know where it’s going but I like that.”
