Claire Byrne has broken her silence as speculation surrounds who will become the next presenter of RTE's Late Late Show.
The presenter is one of the frontrunners to take over the role when Ryan Tubridy leaves following his last show on May 26. But she has now admitted that she is "exactly where I want to be" in her career.
Although she was happy to talk about the open role recently she refused to be drawn into whether she was in contention for the spot. She will be hosting RTE's new quiz show, Ireland's Smartest, from next month and was previously host of the current affairs show Claire Byrne Live.
Read more: Late Late Show chiefs hope to book Ryan Tubridy's 'dream' guest for final show
She said: "I was taking a bit of a break from television, but I never said I would never do TV again. It is just that time slot was very demanding in terms of the rest of my schedule. This is very different in that you can record these shows in a block together, so it is not placing a demand on you every single week."
And she shared her surprise at Ryan Tubridy announcing he was stepping down from the Late Late last week. Although she admits her first love is radio she said her opinion may have changed in recent years.
Claire added: "I was as surprised as anyone to hear the news of Ryan's decision but when I interviewed him on the radio I could tell he was very happy with his choice and that really is the most important thing. He has given The Late Late Show his heart and soul for 14 years and left an incredible mark on Irish TV history.
"I am delighted that he is going to get to do all the things he loves now, and I am as excited as anyone to see what it is. I think over the years, if someone asked me what my first love is within my work, I would automatically say radio. Now I question that.
"I love radio and I have always loved it. I love the intimacy of radio but there is a buzz with television as well. It is different. I think a bit of both is a healthy mix. I suppose I made the decision to take TV out of my life for a time. Radio is my day to day, my bread and butter job.
"I probably would find it very difficult if someone said to me, 'No you can't do the radio anymore'. So maybe that is my answer, it is my first love, but I can't say that TV is the poor relation or anything. I have a great fondness for TV as well. My radio job is my dream job in many respects, and I feel very comfortable in saying that.
Read more: Baz Ashmawy and Lucy Kennedy tipped as favourites to replace Tubs on The Late Late Show
She continued: “I feel like I have a good rhythm in it now. I can pick and choose in terms of television what I want to do, so that’s a really great place to be, to be able to say and to be able to say no. I am exactly where I want to be, and I feel everything is in balance and I know now that I did the right thing."
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