George Hook always appears a very confident and capable man, but there is one person who can subdue him and bring out his worst fears. This person, he says, is his wife Ingrid, or ‘the lovely Ingrid’ as she’s more affectionately known.
In this month’s VIP Magazine, George exclusively reveals that Ingrid is happy about his retirement being postponed for his new 12-2 slot on Newstalk. The rugby pundit also let us in on the workings of their relationship, saying that his wife of 27 years shows him that she loves him in a number of small ways.
“I’m terrified of Ingrid. I am. And it’s interesting because a lot of the feminists see me as the dinosaur of anti-feminism, but I could not be married to Ingrid and I couldn’t live in a house with my two strong independent daughters if I was anti-feminist.
“We’re just back from holidays in Mauritius. We got off the plane in Dublin and she smiled at me and said, ‘thanks for a wonderful holiday’- I think I was on air for about a week!
“I go to a psychotherapist because I want to find out how I made all these mistakes and why I got things so wrong because everyone who sees me doesn’t see what I really am. Because I actually worry like hell all the time that I’m not good enough at anything.
“The psychotherapist asked me why do I crave approval from Ingrid? The biggest fear is that she’d leave.
“She does love me and I see it in small ways.
“She ensures I take my pills every day. I know she cares,” he said.
George also admitted that he’s happy to be back on air with his new show, High Noon, on Newstalk, as the new hours allow him to spend more time with his grandchildren, who he adores.
“I was happy to retire for a few reasons, but mainly because my working hours were hugely unsocial. I also wanted to be able to pick up my grandkids from school.
“Every afternoon now because of the timings of the new show I can pick her (Maggie, his granddaughter) up from school…I’m hoping I can anyway,” he said.
You can catch the full interview with George Hook in this months VIP Magazine, on shelves now.
