It’s safe to say when news broke that Ryan Tubridy would be stepping down as the host of The Late Late Show, speculations started to grow almost immediately about who would take over.
Of course, Claire Byrne was one of the frontrunners so when she took her name out of the running, many people were left wondering why?
However, now Claire has further opened up on her reasons, sharing that social media and the negative side to it actually played a huge role in her decision.
Speaking to the Irish Times, Claire revealed that she was shocked to find certain comments about her online during the time her name was being thrown into the hat for the hosting gig.
“When my name was in the frame for The Late Late Show, I did see some of the social media comments which I thought crossed the line in many cases.
“I don’t often look at social media about myself and I’d never go searching for what people would say about a programme, but I did then because I was trying to weigh up what it might mean if I kept my name in The Late Late Show loop.
“And I did stop and think about whether I wanted to introduce the level of scrutiny that the show brings into my life, and for me the decision was that I didn’t.
“Because I get enough of it, without taking it to a whole other level,” she told the publication.
Of course, Claire’s children were her main reason for not taking the job, as they wanted her home on a Friday night, which in their house is family night.
Despite not wanting the job, Claire said she was “honoured” to have her name linked with “such a prestigious broadcasting role” at the time.
Patrick Kielty has since been confirmed as the new Late Late Show host.
