- "There are times you want to pull out your own hair when you are renovating a house and have a full blown tantrum naked on the floor!"
- "We get sick laughing and we are always, always in trouble but we don't care as it is almost like a paid hobby."
- "It is the love of the job that kept me going."
Television & Radio Presenter Lucy Kennedy is definitely one of the most loved presenters in Ireland due to her down to earth nature, not to mention the ability to make people smile within seconds of meeting her.
Having established a successful career for herself over the last number of years both on the national airwaves and television screens, she has also added ‘Children’s Author,’ to her repertoire as her four beautifully illustrated and written stories within ‘The Friendship Fairies,’ range are hugely popular with young readers.
Career aside, the most important role in Ms Kennedy’s life is most definitely being Mum to her three children Jack, Holly & Jess. Here, Lucy discusses her most recent children’s book, renovating her forever home and plans for the future!
“I started working at the very bottom of ladder when it comes to television with literally no petrol in my car, I was running around for after everyone as a runner almost not getting paid and it is the love of the job that kept me going, thankfully now I get paid but I genuinely love what I do and I feel very fortunate to be in the position I’m in,” enthused Lucy Kennedy.
Fortune favours the brave and Lucy is certainly brave as she alongside her husband, Richie did most of the renovation work when it comes to their family home in the beautiful Dun Laoghaire.
“Renovating the house was absolutely hideous! I’m not going to lie and say I had an Interior Designer because I didn’t; at one stage it was me actually scraping the walls myself.
There is DNA in those walls, my blood and maybe the odd false nail! The DNA of my husband and children is also running through the house as my son knocked down the shed. It was a very hands on job.
“We were very lucky to get the house as it is the area that I grew up in and at one point it was a much loved house that was almost forgotten about. We moved in during the lockdown and we had to get the basic renovations done during that time as rain was coming into the house so we had to get permission from the Guards to allow the work to be done as at that time no construction work was allowed.
“We literally fixed the footprint and moved in as soon as possible. We were paying a mortgage and rent at the same time so I was saying to the kids ‘listen if there is no bed, we are going to have to sleep on the floor and we will have a little midnight feast! No matter what you work at for a career, we worry about money so with our house anyway, it will be an ongoing project in that we will always possibly have to do something to it as it is an old house.
I love the house, it is what I know; The same shops and people that I would have known growing up are still there. My Mum lives down the road and my children’s school is down the road. It is home from home and there is nothing more I love than getting into my pyjamas, having a glass of wine and watching television with the dog on one side and a child on the other as I am a complete and utter homebird. I love my little cave so our home is very much my cave! added Ms Kennedy.
Cosentino Ireland, the market leader in luxury stone and countertops for kitchens, bathrooms and more, worked with Lucy on the remodel of her new kitchen. Dekton Rem was used in the kitchen and is inspired by the most elegant white marbles on the market. Its intricate design, with brown and grey veining and hints of gold, make Dekton Rem a family favourite for its style and durability. Dekton is also high scratch, stain and heat resistant. The Dekton Rem was applied by Noyeks.
“I love Cosentino! They could not have made the whole stressful experience any easier for us. There are times you want to pull out your own hair when you are renovating a house and have a full blown tantrum naked on the floor! When companies like Cosentino take a lot of that pressure away, they make the whole experience so easy and calm. The team were so friendly. The company I would give a gold star to is Cosentino.”
In terms of the future?
“The next series of ‘Living with Lucy,’ will be airing on Virgin Media One in February. I would absolutely love to live with Jamie Dornan, Piers Morgan, Pat Kenny and Enda Kenny. I feel like there is a cheekiness to Pat Kenny beneath that serious exterior!
I would just stare at Jamie Dornan; it wouldn’t be a great 58 minutes screen time for the viewers but I would enjoy it. Marco Pierre White was supposed to live with me last year but couldn’t due to filming commitments so he is someone that I would like to revisit, I love him- I would like him to cook for me and feed me grapes!,” added a laughing Lucy.
“I have to put pen to paper and write two more books for ‘The Friendship Fairies,’ and then I’m doing two books that are suitable for under five but still based on ‘the fairies,’ they are interactive sticker books with cut outs.
“What I love is working on ‘Ireland’s Classic Hits,’ on breakfast radio. I can literally sit there with no eyebrows and just chat with my bestie Colm Hayes. We get sick laughing and we are always, always in trouble but we don’t care as it is almost like a paid hobby,” finished the gregarious Lucy Kennedy.
