Pat Kenny has made a heartbreaking confession about his time as host of The Late Late Show.
Ryan Tubridy took over the coveted hosting gig from the broadcaster in 2009, who had begun hosting the late night talk show in 1999 at the age of 51.
The 75-year-old hosted Saturday night talk show Kenny Live! on RTÉ One from 1988, until he landed The Late Late Show.
Pat has now revealed that his time on The Late Late Show came at a price, as he missed key moments with his two daughters Kristina and Nicole when they were younger.
The broadcaster told the Irish Mirror: “Obviously I wasn’t around at times when maybe I should’ve been around. I mean who gets up early for the swimming lesson on Saturday morning when I’ve done The Late Late Show the night before? Kathy unfortunately most of the time.”
“I used to surface and go down to the local pool with coffee for her, but she would be the one getting up early to bring them.”
Although Pat revealed he had no regrets about his time hosting RTÉ’s flagship show, he was “relieved” when Ryan took over the gig.
“But then there were perks,” Pat continued. “I mean the girls used to come in and meet some of the stars on the show.”
“I’ve a picture of the girls with Niall Horan as a child.”
“It’s a mixed blessing. But I didn’t regret a moment of my time there but equally when I moved on to something else, I was also quite relieved. I was getting my weekends back… all that sort of thing.”
