Anne Doyle opened up about her decision not to marry while speaking with Tommy Tiernan on Saturday night saying she "quite frankly didn't see the point."

The legendary RTÉ News anchor said she came to the conclusion that marriage and children were not her main priorities when she was in her 30s.

"I wasn't reared by a Mrs Bennet, it didn't cross my mind that the best thing I could do was find the best marriage prospect, it just didn't cross my mind," she said on the Tommy Tiernan Show.

I was a freer spirit than that and then I suppose like most people I fell in love here and there along the way.

"I was never unfortunate enough to fall in love with somebody who was a disastrous human being, quite the contrary, I was always quite fortunate.

"But I suppose I never really fell in love with somebody to a point where I felt like upturning my life and becoming a part of a married couple.

"Then as I got older, and I suppose my views were quite broad anyway, and quite frankly I didn't see the point."

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On the subject of children, she spoke about how she and many women just don’t want to have any. While speaking about this, she added that she is a "fairly full-blooded woman" as she feared it may come across as "clinical or cold" otherwise.

"Many women particularly have this issue of what's generally described as the 'ticking of the biological clock’ and I say that with respect because it's a very important consideration for women," she said.

"I simply didn't have that so it wasn't an issue for me. Why? I have no idea.

"In all respects as far as I'm aware and judging from how my life panned out I never had any reason to question it I am definitely a fairly full-blooded woman."

She added: "I am simply throwing in that remark because in a way it might give a rather clinical and cold perception when I say that I just never really particularly wanted to have children.

"And I'm not alone in that, there are many women who for one reason or another simply don't chose to have children.

"They live their lives differently and that brings its own joys and blessings and I suppose it also brings it own sadness and loneliness but everything you do in life will bring the flip coin."

Speaking about her 33-year-long news career, Doyle said, "It’s an occupation I was honoured to do and I have huge regard for the people that do it."

When asked about reporting on particular news events over that period, she said she has never forgotten "the sense of hopelessness" around the time of the hunger strikes during the Troubles.

Doyle's interview saw her being hailed as a "legend" an "icon" and "class personified" on Twitter.

You can watch The Tommy Tiernan Show on the RTÉ Player.