From Anna Nolan to Vogue Williams and Jennifer Zamparelli - here are Ireland's best-known reality TV stars

Irish Daily Mirror

a day ago

It all started with a skateboarding, lesbian-ex nun from Dublin's Rialto.
That was 25 years ago and now, Anna Nolan will always be known as the first Irish reality TV star.
Plenty have followed in her footsteps since - most notably, our most famous and successful reality show contestant, Maura Higgins.
While Maura didn't win Love Island, she immediately owned the show by proclaiming she had the 'fanny flutters' for date Tommy Fury.
Her Irish accent was a hit with audiences, who found her distinctly midlands phrases and twang appealing.
Maura, from Ballymahon, Co Longford, has had stellar success, and is estimated to be worth nearly €4million. Her commercial partnerships, modelling work and TV presenter work has been extremely lucrative.
The 34-year-old is now hoping to break America after being cast in the celebrity version of The Traitors USA.
Now, Irish eyes are on two homegrown contestants being tipped for the top in the latest series of Love Island.
Megan Forte Clarke, 24, originally from Dublin, says she is flattered fans of the show are comparing her to Maura; while Limerick rugby player Conor Phillips says he is looking for someone who is 'up for the craic.'
As they get ready to find love in the villa, we take a look back at Ireland's reality TV hall of fame.
From Vogue Williams to Jennifer Zamparelli, we see how they got their start in front of the cameras, and what they're doing now.
Next month, it will be 25 years since Anna Nolan entered the Big Brother house.
It was the first ever UK Big Brother and so, nobody knew what to expect of this social experiment.
Housemates like Anna, who was 29 at the time, didn't even know if anyone was watching - but it was a huge success and a landmark moment for the genre.
Irish viewers had a reason to tune in - we had the charming, down-to-earth Anna Nolan to root for. Describing herself as a 'lesbian ex-nun' Anna came close to victory, finishing second to winner Craig Phillips.
She said afterwards that while the effects of being on reality TV can be tough, ultimately the show changed her life for the better and she would always be grateful
She recalled the first series of Big Brother, saying she left her boring job as an office manager to risk a run at the new show: 'I didn't know yet that the production of this massive show brought narratives, drama, love stories and war into what had seemed an uneventful 10 weeks. Big Brother had created personalities out of all of us, and we were the last to know. The Z-list celebrity had been born.'
Anna went on to present a number of TV shows both for the BBC and RTE.
She has since stepped away from the limelight but she now works behind the camera, in TV production.
Brian Dowling
Our first reality show winner was a fresh-faced Brian Dowling, who won the second series of Big Brother, in 2001.
Arriving in the house as a 23-year-old airline steward from Co Kildare, his lively personality and quick wit made him a massive hit with viewers. He was also the show's first gay contestant and was once voted the UK's favourite BB contestant ever.
Four and a quarter million people voted for Brian in the public vote, and he took the £70,000 prize home to Rathangan, to a fan frenzy on the streets.
He went on to present English kids' show SMTV, before hosting his own programme, Brian's Boyfriends.
In 2010, he won Ultimate Big Brother, an all-star version of the show and he remains the only UK housemate to ever win it twice, going on to present the show.
Brian married his real boyfriend Arthur Gourounlian in 2015 in Powerscourt Estate in Wicklow and the two relocated from Britain, back to Ireland.
Arthur is now a judge on Dancing with the Stars and the couple live in Straffan have two daughters. He presents The Six O'Clock Show and The Salvage Squad on Virgin Media.
He said: 'To go from 2001, working for Ryanair, to winning and winning ultimate to then hosting, I only really have the best memories of my time on Big Brother.'
Maura Higgins is known as the most famous Irish reality TV show, but Vogue is likely the wealthiest.
The TV presenter, podcast host, influencer and model has a multi-million media firm and is also now married to mega-rich Spencer Matthews, who is reportedly worth €14milion.
But it all started for Vogue on a small Irish reality TV show called Fade Street, back in 2010. Based on the MTV show The Hills, it followed four young Irish women in Dublin.
Looking back on it, Vogue said: 'It was my first TV job and it was absolutely gas, and it is still gas to watch back. "It meant she was in the same circles as Westlife's Brian McFadden, who she married in 2012.
The model took part in ITV's celebrity dance show Stepping Out alongside McFadden in 2013. While the pair split soon after, she had her break in UK television.
But it was Vogue's podcast with comedian Joanne McNally that has been her big success. My Therapist Ghosted Me is the main source of her company's profits.
Vogue married aristo-entrepreneur Spencer Williams in 2018 and the couple have three children.
Jen Z is one of the biggest names on Irish television. But the cheeky host started off as 27-year-old marketing consultant Jennifer Maguire on British TV series The Apprentice.
Jennifer, from Dublin's Baldoyle, was a continent in the fourth series of The Apprentice in 2008.
With her forthright manner and clever quips, she stood out from the crowd, describing herself as 'the best saleswoman in Europe.'
She didn't win it - but it started off her TV career. She returned to Ireland and presented the hugely popular satirical sketch show Republic of Telly on RTE, which is now regarded as a classic.
She famously asked Michael O'Leary: 'What's it like being the biggest prick in Ireland?"
The 45-year-old became a household name when she started co-hosting Dancing With the Stars with Nicky Byrne; and presented Jennifer Zamparelli on RTE 2FM.
Jen, who has two children with her husband Lau, left her radio show last year to have more time with son and daughter, Enzo and Florence.
However, she does not think back fondly on her reality TV beginnings.
'Even to think about it makes me want to get sick. I thought this is going to be amazing, a great platform for whatever I want to do. But nothing prepares you for the s** that comes after it.'
Hughie Maughan
Long after Anna Nolan and Brian Dowling, Hughie Maughan became a Big Brother star in 2016.
The traveller from Dublin's Ballymun was just 21 when he became a runner up on BB17.
He thanks the show for helping him have the courage to be his authentic self, and saving his life.
He said afterwards: 'Without Big Brother, I don't think I would have openly came out as gay. Big Brother allowed me to do that in such a spectacular fashion.
'My family had a chance to watch me being the real me on TV. They could see me being happy as the real ­person I am.
I was living a lie that I couldn't cope with as I got older.
"I couldn't deal with it. I wouldn't still be around now. You only have to look at the suicide rates for Travellers to know that could have happened.'
Hughie went on to do RTE's First Dates, To Hell and Back and Dancing With the Stars, where the fake tan lover is best known for his mortifying fake tan disaster. He has competed on numerous series of MTV's The Challenge and currently works as a fitness instructor.