Mairead Ronan has spoken out about quitting Ireland’s Fittest Family.
The presenter announced her departure from the popular RTÉ show earlier this year, after ten years as host.
Speaking to the Irish Mirror, Mairead explained that she left the show to spend more quality time with her children – Dara, 16, Eliza, 6, and Bonnie, 5.
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The Irish presenter recently admitted in an Instagram post that last summer was the first summer she had off with her children.
Mairead, who also stepped away from her Today FM show last year, admitted to the publication that she is confident with the decision she made.
“I’m sure there were people sick of watching me for 10 years,” she said.
“I left the radio first and then waited and it was actually my husband who said don’t step away from both at once because you might be dying to get away from us next summer and be delighted to stand in a field listening to Davy Fitz shouting.”
“And I suppose in a way he was right because I hadn’t quite stepped off the wheel yet, and then Fittest Family came around and it was like back to normal and what I knew.”
“I knew leaving it last year, when the final was done, I thought, ‘I think this may be my last year’ and I had 90% made up my mind. But I still didn’t have the 10% yet, it’s such a fun job.”
“When you’ve done something for 10 years, it feels nice leaving it, it is a nice kind of bookend, a nice round number to go, ‘Go to someone else now’,” she explained.
“And I myself have watched things on TV and gone ‘will they mix it up a bit and put in a new presenter’ so I’m sure there were people sick of watching me for ten years.”
“And it does feel nice. I thought I’d have fomo watching them all on social media, but I didn’t, and I think that is because the decision was mine and wasn’t made for me.
“I think that goes for everybody. Whether it is somebody who left a job, or broke up with someone, it’s nice when you call it and you haven’t been dumped.”
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The Dubliner revealed that she is excited to watch from home, saying: “I will 100 percent watch, I love the show, and for me this year it is the first time I will be watching not knowing what happens.”
Ireland’s Fittest Family returns to television on RTÉ One on Sunday, October 29 at 6:30pm.
