Tom Dunne has recalled the "torturous path" to starting a family, saying there were times when he "wondered was this ever going to happen".
The musician-turned-radio broadcaster appears in the latest episode of the new series of Keys To My Life, the RTÉ show in which presenter Brendan Courtney meets Irish personalities who reveal how the places they've lived in have shaped their lives.
In an emotional and wide-ranging episode, Dunne recalls his years fronting the acclaimed Irish band Something Happens, known for their hit singles Parachute and Hello, Hello, Hello, Hello, Hello (Petrol).
Despite the band calling it quits after they were dropped from their label Virgin Records following the release of their third album, Dunne said he has only fond memories of that time.
"I never take away from what we did," he said. "Being in Something Happens was the thing I felt most alive doing. It was a great experience."
The mid-90s marked a decline in the band's fortunes, but 1996 proved to be a golden year for Dunne when he met his future wife, Audrey. Three years later, they moved to Blackrock and in 2002 they got married in The Plaza Hotel in New York.
However, one piece of life's puzzle was still eluding the couple.
Becoming emotional about their attempts to start a family together, Dunne said: "There was a torturous path to that, IVF, and there was times when you really wondered was this ever going to happen."
Dunne, who shares daughters Eva and Sky with his wife, continued: "We were just getting knocked back a lot, it seemed.
"It goes so easy for so many people and is so difficult for so many other people. When we became pregnant that was the greatest day ever. We stuck at it and got our reward, two very special young ladies."
In 2017, Dunne received a shocking health diagnosis with the discovery of a malformed heart valve that could end his life at any moment.
He recalled: "I got a phone call to go in and see the surgeon. He said I had a 70% chance of dying within the next two years. It just stops opening and then you're dead, there's no warning about it."
Dunne said he had surgery to replace the damaged valve with a pig valve.
"It's like a miracle," he said. "I love my life, I really do. I didn't want to change things afterwards, I just wanted to have more of it. I love music, I love my family, I love everything."
When asked by Courtney if he had any big takeout from that time in his life, he said: "I certainly enjoy every moment.
"I think the most searing thing was holding Sky's hand, at the time she was about eight, and she's just a beautiful girl. And I just thought, 'This is so precious'.
"Life is full of those precious little moments, you're holding somebody's hand. Worth their weight in gold."
Keys To My Life airs on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player at 8:30pm on Sunday, 5 October.
