From her favourite show to her guilty pleasure, her proudest moment to her most embarrassing one, here, we spend ten minutes with Helen O’Dwyer to get to know her a little better!
What were you doing last night?
Rehearsing for my Christmas bookings. I absolutely adore Christmas – it really is ‘The most wonderful time of the year’ (the Kylie version, of course). There’s just something about big-band arrangements that make Christmas sparkle even brighter. Drinks Receptions at Christmas time are my happy place. By November, my house is basically Santa’s rehearsal studio: feathers & flappers, sequins & glitter everywhere and the boys begging me to stop playing Holly Jolly Christmas at decibels during the school drop off.
What’s on your tv series link?
The Traitors. Slane Castle looked breathtaking and I honestly think Traitors Ireland has been the best so far! I love the period dramas/ Bridgerton, Queen Charlotte and Gilded Age. I love the beauty & bright colours and the music in Bridgerton is fabulous. News, Ireland AM, 6 O’Clock Show & Today are all on series link too.
What’s your takeaway of choice?
Sushi – because it feels fancy and healthy until I remember the volume I order could feed a small orchestra.
Who’s your broadcasting hero?
Graham Norton – sharp as a tack, warm as a hug, and always one beat ahead of the punchline. A national treasure in sequins.
Is there a question you hate being asked?
“How do you juggle everything & make time for your family?” Truthfully? I don’t. Something is usually on fire – I’ve just learned to smile through the smoke. And like every Irish Mother, the guilt still finds me, even when I’m doing my best.
What’s been your most embarrassing moment on air or in public?
Once, a zip on my dress from neck to knees gave up right before a Jazz Brunch in a gorgeous restaurant I play in called The Bay Tree in Carlingford. Luckily my bestie Katy was there and answered my frantic call to race to the car and get my spare flapper frock! The shoes didn’t match but hey, it was better than baring all for my art!
Is there a motto or piece of advice that you live by?
“What if I fall? Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?” I’ve always loved that quote because it captures the magic of risk. So much of what I do, from performing to running a business, involves a bit of fear. But that little reminder to go for it anyway has carried me through everything from stage nerves to new ventures. My dad always had advice like that for me. He died when I was 22. I was devastated and it had a very profound impact on my life. He had a beautiful voice – like chocolate. He packed in more laughter, hugs, guidance, advice, fun, friendship and love in his 51 years than most people could in a whole lifetime. He was and always will be my Hero. He filled our house, our hearts and our lives with so much love, music, fun, charisma, confidence, strength, kindness and generosity and I am so very very proud that he was my Dad. I still have my lovely mum and my brother Seamus who I adore.
Tell us a secret about yourself.
I still get stage fright. Every. Single. Time. I just pretend it’s excitement and hope nobody notices my trembling knees under the tassels.
What’s your ideal date?
I love an occasion or a celebration! Somewhere candlelit and chic with my hubby …until one of the boys FaceTimes from home to show me the dog wearing my feather head dress!
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Online shopping! Especially in the middle of the night when my decision-making skills are questionable at best. Honestly, if a goat shows up at my door someday, it is what it is …
What’s been your proudest moment so far?
One of my proudest moments was my first theatre appearance for Frankly My Dear. I will always be grateful to Luke Thomas and his management for giving me that opportunity and for taking a chance on me. We opened for Luke and his fabulous band, the Swing Cats, on their King of Swing Tour and I’ll never forget the feeling of the theatre lights in my eyes and tiny particles of dust was all I could see as I sang Shirley Bassey’s ‘Love Story – Where do I begin’.
Helen O’Dwyer’s Frankly, My Dear returns to the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival with a fresh, fast-paced new show that’s bigger, full of bling and bursting with crowd favourites. Catch the dazzling new show on Sunday, October 26th at 3.30pm at the Metropole Hotel Cork, where Helen O’Dwyer and her glamorous dancers serve up vintage sparkle with a modern twist.
See www.franklymydear.ie for more or follow @franklymydearoffical on social media and don’t forget to swing by The Metropole Hotel Cork on Sunday, October 26th, 3.30pm