When Doireann Garrihy first learned she got the job as Dancing with the Star's new co-host, it wasn't the brand new audience she'd be facing that she imagined. It wasn't the glamorous hair and makeup, or the outfits.
It wasn't even the prospect of having to do an opening number on the first night (which she pulled off flawlessly).
She said the image that she kept chasing through the last few months was of herself walking down the staircase on stage alongside Jennifer Zamparelli. When it finally happened, she said she felt "like I was exactly where I should be".
Garrihy is keen to stress how "ready" she was for the job, a jump up from her already wildly successful comedy shows and an almost-four-year tenure on 2FM Breakfast with Doireann, Donncha and Carl, and you can sense her experience coming through in her easy and comfortable presence on the show.
"I think radio is the best possible training ground for live TV in terms of having to react to what's happening in the moment and just going with the flow, really, and learning to trust your own kind of flow, of conversation or ideas.
"I suppose being quick-witted is part of it as well. And that's something that improves the more practise you have with live radio."
The broadcaster is in good company alongside Jen, as the radio host is a pro at getting up bright and early to host her show on post-DWTS mornings. "Jen had warned me and said, you will definitely not get too much sleep tonight. And I didn't", Garrihy says.
"So I came back. I went back to my boyfriend's apartment and got some Dominoes and had one glass of bubbles just to cheers to myself. I chilled out with Bertie the dog and I got into bed around midnight, but of course, I was scrolling and looking at nice comments from people and just kind of soaking in the positivity and I wasn't too worried about feeling tired this morning.
"I expected I would feel a little bit groggy, but all was good, and as soon as the mic goes live on radio, no matter how you're feeling, like, the buzz is there."
Getting used to the glitz and glamour of DWTS requires many hands, including stylists, hairdressers and makeup artists. Doireann looked stunning on the night but explains that her first-show outfit wasn't something she'd usually wear.
"But I think that's the beauty of having someone style you and make you think outside the box and kind of challenge you to try new things.
"I definitely want to bring loads of colour and loads of fun to my outfits because that's what I do try to do. That's my style generally. I love feathers, I love sequins, I love bright colours and patterns. So anything that I'm allowed wear and that Fiona [Fagan, stylist] agrees to, and she's totally up for having fun with it, I'll absolutely go for."
Again, she credits Jen as being a stalwart support and guide through the undoubtedly surreal experience. She recalls going in to screen test with Jen and hitting it off right away.
"We did them in just this sort of meeting room in a hotel in Stillorgan. It was a very boring brown room and so there was no sense of what it would actually feel like to be in this big, sparkly studio with a buzzing audience. But it was really important to practise with autocue to make sure that we were bouncing off each other in the right way, which I feel we absolutely do, naturally, and we have done since the first chemistry test."
She adds that it's been "a joy" to get to know Jen, especially considering their radio schedules have them passing like ships in the night most of the time.
"I'm on air from six to nine. She's on air from nine to 12 on two of them. So we genuinely very rarely cross paths because while I'm still on air, she's prepping for a show, and then as soon as she starts, we're upstairs prepping for the next day's show.
"From the minute we did the chemistry test together, I really felt like we're just kind of kindred spirits in many ways, but also really different at the same time. And she's a mom. She's been in this industry for so many years, and she has so much experience and knowledge under her belt. And the way she's shared it with me so freely, and she's just been so giving, and I've just had such a ball with her."
Juggling so many jobs and projects at one go seems to be how Garrihy prefers it, which you'd assume demands a pretty rigorous self-care routine. However, the broadcaster says there's "no real plan" when it comes to self-care with her.
"I think naturally I've gotten into a mode of when I know I need to chill out at home rather than socialise, I'll do that and I've gotten a lot better. I think that comes with age". She says she's more comfortable reaching out to friends when she's not feeling up for socialising, which took practice.
"I used to beat myself up about cancelling things, but now I think people – even with COVID and just like, fatigue around kind of going out and about – people just get it now if you're not up for it. I think just making the call with those kind of things is really important. And if I feel like I'm overdoing things, I will.
"I mean, I'm great at getting up and out and bringing birdie for an hour-long walk if I know I need to not look at the phone."
Watch Dancing with the Stars on Sundays at 6:30pm on RTÉ One.
