skip to main content

Demi Isaac Oviawe on visiting the birth place of Rihanna

Watch High Road, Low Road on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.
Watch High Road, Low Road on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.

High Road, Low Road has returned to RTÉ One with a fabulous line-up of familiar Irish faces.

The travel show sees two well known Irish faces take on a holiday they'll never forget - but for very different reasons.

From popular holidays and city break favourites to far flung places, the celebs are sent away for an unforgettable adventure of discovery, culture and fun!

However, while one will experience a luxurious five-star stay, the other will be sent off the beaten track.

Demi Isaac Oviawe and Jennifer Barry

In last night's episode, viewers saw Young Offenders actors and real-life best friends Demi Isaac Oviawe and Jennifer Barry jet off to sun-soaked Barbados.

"A job where you get to go on a holiday, but you also get to go with one of your best mates," Demi marvels, before admitting that she happily left her fellow castmate in economy when she was gifted the golden ticket.

WATCH: High Road, Low Road on RTÉ Player now.

"Coming back, she was my best pal, but going over, I didn't know who she was," she jokes.

"There were times I was jealous of Jennifer, though, she got to do so many cool things, but they kind of let me go snorkeling as well without putting it on the episode," she adds, laughing.

Dishing out the behind-the-scenes goss, Demi said that she's "terrified of the water" but was too tempted by the chance of swimming with turtles to pass up the opportunity.

"I was like, screw this, they have a safety vest so I put it on," she says. "And bless the fella on the boat who was pulling me along because I'm not the best swimmer."

"I love travelling, I like experiencing other cultures, so to be told you're going to the birth place of Rihanna was like, 'oh my good gosh'," she continues. "It was honestly the best experience of my entire life, I never thought I'd make it to that side of the world."

"It's such a beautiful place, and Rihanna is from there. I got to go to her childhood home, I drove past the house that she stayed in - I got the whole nine yards," she says. "It was really great. Everyone seems to have some connection to her family, which was really cool.

"It's really humbling to see that she started off as Robyn and became Rihanna," she adds. "It was very inspiring. Anything is possible."

Aside from marveling at the Umbrella singer's hometown, the Cork woman says that the history of Barbados was absolutely fascinating and she enjoyed learning about "the cultural ties between Ireland and West Africa".

"And don't even get me started on the food, I gained about 16 stone over there," she jokes. "It's so good and fresh, unbelievable."

Although staying in a luxury villa and exploring stunning caves were highlights of the trip, Demi insists that her absolute must-do was the rum tour.

"You need to do the rum tour*," she insists. "In Ireland, Guinness is our drink; if you go to Ireland, you go to the Guinness Storehouse. In Barbados, Mount Gay is their rum and they have a distillery where you can do a tour.

"When I say I had too much fun," she laughs. "It was great craic and the tour guide was absolutely fantastic."

"Anyone who wants to go away, I would recommend Barbados," she surmises. "I want to go back, I'm planning to go back."

You can watch Demi's episode of High Road, Low Road on RTÉ Player now.

*Always drink responsibly.

Read Next