Maria Walsh has admitted to feeling like a fraud since rising to fame last year as the first openly gay winner of the Rose of Tralee competition. She was honoured with an Irish Tatler Woman of the Year award last weekend and has admitted that she finds her newfound popularity hard to believe.
“I’m going through bouts of imposter syndrome to be honest with you because nine women took the stage with me and how do you stand beside Senator Zappone, Ursula Halligan, and there’s a 90 year old amazing woman who’s very vocal,” she told Evoke.ie. The brunette beauty said that she never gets used to all the attention.
For her, being gay has been her normality for such a long time that she doesn’t really feel worthy of such an award. Even when she called home to inform her family of her achievement her dad asked “Oh right, but what did you actually do for it?”
“I’ve been living as a gay person for so long that it’s just my normality. Indeed, do I think it started a few more conversations around some dinner tables? Yeah and hopefully got a few more young people comfortable with their sexuality,” she said.
Maria is currently moving up the ranks in broadcasting and will co-host the TV3 Toy Show this year with Brian Ormond. She has also revealed that she’s in talks with TV3, RTE, and UTV Ireland about her own series.
“I’m taking it as it comes, it’s a new world, a new platform for me.”
She recently filled in for Lucy Kennedy on the Seven O’Clock Show, and the pair were united on last night’s programme.
Lucy was clearly impressed with the 27-year-old, later tweeting her, “Hello fellow messer. Really nice working with you this eve. The very best of luck with the Toy Show. Just be you Xx”
A delighted Maria replied: “Thank you for the absolute craic & guidance. You’re 1 in a million Lucy.”
