PIPPA O’CONNOR
The highpoint of Pippa’s 2015 was no doubt the announcement back in November that she was expecting a second child with husband Brian Ormond, a welcome companion to their 2-year-old son Ollie.
But we’re guessing that she was almost as excited back in April, whe she won Ireland’s Most Stylish Woman at the 2015 Peter Mark VIP Style Awards. Beating off stiff competition from people such as Roz Purcell, Glenda Gilson and Daniella Moyles, Pippa topped the poll and proved to be a hugely popular winner with both the public and fellow contestants alike.
The award topped off an incredible year for Pippa, who has transformed herself from a photocall model into one of Ireland’s top fashion bloggers, whose website pippa.ie hands out fashion and beauty advice to her thousands of followers every day. She also dipped her toe into TV presenting, being one of the guest hosts of TV3’s Xposé, and with husband Brian also now working for the Ballymount station, what’s the betting that Ireland will soon have it’s own Richard and Judy?
Can you imagine how much fun The Brippa Show would be?!
THALIA HEFFERNAN
It’s hard to believe that the Irish model with the perfect complexion and movie star looks is still only 20, but Thalia Heffernan has grown up fast. A regular on the catwalk and photoshoot scene since the age of 17, the past year hasn’t all been good news for Thalia, as she was the victim of a vicious mugging last summer, and also announced that she had split from her boyfriend of a year.
Aside from those two black spots, however, Thalia’s star continued to rise in 2015, and she is now not only the most sought-after and recognisable model on the Irish scene, she has also just signed for top London agency Elite, meaning she may be even harder to get in Ireland as she’ll be spending so much time abroad. And just to add another string to her bow, Thalia was a guest presenter on Xposé in December, with TV work being something that she is definitely looking to branch out into in 2016.
Best of all, the exotic girl with the exotic name is 100% Irish, and proud to be so. You heard it here – the sky’s the limit for Thalia.
CATRIONAL BALFE
Before Thalia Heffernan, there as Catriona Balfe. One of the few Irish models to make it abroad, 36-year-old Monaghan native Balfe spent 15 years gracing the catwalks and magazine covers of the world, having been discovered by her agent while collecting for a charity in a shopping centre.
In 2014, Catriona got her big acting break, landing the leading role in US drama Outlander, but it wasn’t until this year that her stock really started to rise. Nominated for a Rising Star Award at the IFTAs and, even more impressively, a Golden Globe Awards in the US, Catriona was also named on of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World by top US magazine People.
And if that wasn’t enough, next year will see the release of her new movie, Money Monster, in which she stars opposite a couple of actors by the name of Julia Roberts and George Clooney…
JAMIE DORMAN
He was the male actor on everyone’s lips in 2015, so its hard to believe the overnight success Jamie Dorman has been knocking around for over a decade. Much like his fellow northerner Catriona Balfe, Jamie started out modelling at the age of 20, and became much in demand for such brands as Hugo Boss, Dior and Calvin Klein.
Acting was always his first love, however, and his breakthrough came in 2013 when he was cast as the lead in BBC/ RTE co-production The Fall, the success of which led to him being put forward for the hugely sought-after role of Christian Grey in the big budget adaptation of blockbuster Fifty Shades of Grey.
When the movie came out in February, it proved to be a smash hit despite lukewarm reviews, and Jamie was quickly signed up for not just one, but two sequels, which will see if fee jump into the millions of dollars.
2015 was the year that the boy from Hollywood, Co. Down, became the toast of Hollywood, California!
VOGUE WILLIAMS
For most people, a marriage break-up would see them duck for cover, hide away from the public, and lick their wounds for 6 months.
Vogue Williams, however, isn’t “most people,” and following the announcement in July that she and hubby Brian McFadden were going their separate ways after three years of marriage, the statuesque blonde refused to fade away. Instead, she threw herself into work, taking part (and winning) the reality show Bear Grills: Mission Survive, in which she had to drink her own… well, we all know wha she had to drink! And following a once-off RTE show called Afterlife, the national broadcaster signed Vogue for her own 3-part series called Wildgirls.
All during this time, Vogue showed great dignity when asked about her marriage break-up, having nothing but good things to saw about Brian, and revealing that they remain close friends. So much so, in fact, that she was planning to spend a “boozy Christmas” with him!
What’s there to love about Vogue? Everything!