Anna Daly is one of Ireland’s best-loved presenters.
The co-host of Weekend AM, who previously worked on the weekday show Ireland AM, admits she never intended on being where she is now, in fact, she never wanted to be on TV at all.
The mum-of-three studied marketing in college and then worked in a bank but Anna explained that she found the rigid structure frustrating and didn’t like how predictable every day was.
“I just didn’t like the structure of the corporate organisation where grown adults were told what to do. Eventually when I ended up in TV3 I found that no one took coffee breaks! Hell, they didn’t even take lunch breaks!” She laughed.
“But I liked that. Still I had no aspirations to be a tv presenter, like none, it just happened.”
In our latest issue of VIP Magazine, Anna Daly explains how her successful career happened by accident, but that she is very happy the way it worked out.
The star was working in the marketing department of TV3 when a producer asked her to do a screen test, however, she declined.
Lili Forberg for VIP Magazine
“It’s true! My initial reaction was, and this is so Irish, but it was, ‘Oh, my god I’d never be vain enough to do that!’ But then when I went home and told Ben – who was my boyfriend at the time [now her husband]– he was like, ‘Why would you instantly turn something down like that? It’s ridiculous to not give it a shot.'” she explained.
When Anna started to consider more work in the TV world she signed up for a course to hone in on her skills, and the rest is history.
“I didn’t tell anyone but I signed up for a night course in tv production, direction and presentation, and I loved it. I’d be finishing work in TV3 marketing and I’d be excited to be heading over there after. After I finished the course I went back to TV3 and four or five screen tests later, they offered me the Ireland AM gig. I started doing weather, then moved into reporting, and then I started covering for Sinead [Desmond].”
Busy mum Anna, who has four boys under seven, chats about her busy schedule, successful marriage, future plans and much more in the new issue of VIP Magazine, on shelves now.
