Blathnaid nervous at comedy-drama debut

Teresa Gallagher

Vivacious red-head Blathnaid Ni Chofaigh has admitted she is racked with nerves over how her acting debut will be received.

The RTE presenter said she loved every minute of her role in the TG4 comedy-drama series Crisis Eile, which is due to air in January.

"I loved it. I was working with such an excellent crew. "Richard Kendrick is an amazing director of photography. I know I was good hands."

But the mother of four said that, at 41, she finds trying new things a little scary and is worried at the potential embarrassment.

"You're still nervous when you do something new at my stage in my life."

The multi-talented Meath woman said she can handle any presenting job with ease, but found acting much more challenging.

"If I was asked to host anything on television tomorrow, it doesn't knock anything out of me, but this was very intense."

cougar

Never one to shy away from a challenge, Blathnaid has had another foray into acting with a comedy sketch in RTE 2's Republic Of Telly, which came back on air last week.

She said she got a kick out of her cougar role, but she has no plans to repeat it.

"My Republic Of Telly role was a one-off, but I enjoyed it, probably too much."

Blathnaid described how the makers of the satirical sketch show offered the role to her.

"When they were asking me to do it, they said like, 'Ageing staff presenter -- what else are you going to do?'" she laughed.

The adventurous TV star is back doing what she knows best when RTE's new afternoon show Today launches on Friday week.

Blathnaid left The Afternoon Show in 2009 and this is her first return to the couch in three years. Her comeback comes after undergoing major surgery to remove part of her bowel earlier this year.

hnews@herald.ie