
Arthur Gourounlian says 'never say never' to expanding family
Arthur Gourounlian, who shares two baby daughters with husband Brian Dowling, has said 'never say never' to expanding their family of four.
'Never say never,' he laughed. 'Blake is three now and she's starting pre-school next year. And Blu is eleven months now. Time has just flown by,' the Dancing with the Stars judge told Extra.ie.
Armenian-born Gourounlian and Kildare-born husband Brian moved back to Ireland in 2020, just before the COVID pandemic shut down the entire world. Arthur Gourounlian at the launch of Newbridge Silverware's Legendary Blue Box campaign. Pic: Picture It Photography
Now, five years and two baby girls later, proud-as-punch dad Arthur said Ireland is where his heart is.
'I've been living here full-time five years now,' Arthur explained. 'I'm married to an Irishman, my two children are Irish. I feel more Irish than anything else.'
He added: 'I'm very patriotic to be Armenian, but also I feel very Irish. I feel like, give me my passport now,' he laughed. Arthur Gourounlian at the launch of Newbridge Silverware's Legendary Blue Box campaign. Pic: Picture It Photography
Since deciding to set up home in Ireland, flamboyant choreographer Arthur has made a massive impact on the Irish entertainment scene.
'My life has changed so much since Brian and I decided to move here,' he said this week
'We were planning to initially leave back in 2020 and 2021. But that was before babies and Dancing with the Stars and all of the other opportunities that Ireland has given me,' he said. Arthur Gourounlian at the launch of Newbridge Silverware's Legendary Blue Box campaign. Pic: Picture It Photography
'But I think everything is going so nice and smooth right now. We are just loving life.'
The family of four have recently made the move from Brian's childhood town of Rathangan in Kildare to Dublin City, and Arthur says they are actively house-hunting in the capital.
'We are settled in Dublin now, so the next milestone is to get our own home. So fingers and toes crossed.'
But Arthur was back in Kildare this week as he unveiled his new artist project with Newbridge Silverware, which is one of the nation's most iconic jewellery and lifestyle brands.
'I was actually introduced to Newbridge Silverware by Brian's mother, God rest her soul.'
'And I just fell in love with all of their creative pieces. So when they asked me to become one of the faces of Newbridge Silverware, I was speechless and honoured,' Arthur said.
'I designed Newbridge's new boxes and we created an incredible visual promotion to bring Newbridge into the next generation while maintaining the ethos of the company that makes it the brand it is,' said Arthur.
And as to boxes, he says he would describe his family life as a little box of love.
'I would be the pearls, Brian, would be the diamonds; of course he would, he loves his bling,' he laughed. 'And the girls would be colourful, bright, beautiful brooches of all the colours of the rainbow.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Irish TV tax break gets green light from Europe
RTÉ could be a major beneficiary of the €211m scheme, with The Late Late Show among the programmes that should qualify. The commission examined the plan, announced by minister Jack Chambers in last year's Budget, under EU state-aid rules. The aim is to promote the production of unscripted audiovisual programmes with either Irish or European cultural content. The measure will be introduced for a four-year period, backdated to last December and running until December 31, 2028. The aid is in the form of a tax credit of up to 20pc of the production expenditure that happens in Ireland. The maximum support cannot cover more than 16pc of the total cost of production. To be eligible, a programme must have a minimum cost of €250,000, with half of that being spent in Ireland. A 'cultural test', which will be designed by the Government, will be used to ensure that the unscripted productions 'contribute meaningfully to the promotion and expression of Irish or European culture'. Anthony Muldoon, director of strategic policy at Screen Producers Ireland (SPI), said the tax incentive is a 'transformative' investment for Ireland's creative industry. 'It will empower our producers and creators to develop and produce high-quality programmes that resonate with both domestic and international audiences,' he said. Members of SPI had joined together to campaign for the tax credit, forming an Unscripted Working Group, and had co-operated with the Department of Finance and Revenue, as well as with the Department of Arts and Media. Stuart Switzer, chair of the Unscripted Working Group, said he was thrilled that the European Commission had decided to approve the aid package. 'This is a first in Europe, and a recognition that the creative unscripted sector in Ireland has the potential to emulate the success of our scripted colleagues,' he said. 'The challenge will be to ensure the benefits of the incentive are retained within the independent production sector to build companies of scale.' According to an analysis included in the Tax Strategy Group papers last year, spending on unscripted TV productions could increase from about €90m a year to €300m if a tax credit was introduced. It referred to two similar schemes in Europe, operated by Malta and Cyprus. "If introduced, such a relief could have the potential to support additional employment in the sector and increase demand for studio space,' the report said.


RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Glasnevin Cemetery is set to host its first queer history tour
Dublin's Glasnevin Cemetery is set to host its first ever queer history tour, running from 20-22 June, celebrating Pride and exploring LGBTQ+ life in Ireland since the 1800s. Anna Collins, a tour guide and researcher at Dublin Cemetries Trust, who has written and researched the tour joined RTÉ Radio 1 to share all the details - listen back above. The oldest person discussed on the tour was born in the 1850s, while the most recent death discussed on the tour took place in 1995, so the range of characters included is incredibly comprehensive. Collecting all this information was no mean feat, and Anna says that she relied on the knowledge of her co-workers, many of whom have been working at Glasnevin Cemetery for years now. "The people who work here really care about everyone in the cemetery," she insists. "They have all these really interesting stories of people, so initially I just put a call out!" The lengthy and thorough process involved months of research, leading to fascinating stories of LGBTQ+ people in Irish history being unearthed. One of the best-known figures on the tour is Thom McGinty, an Irish-Scottish actor and street performer known as The Diceman, who spent many years performing as a living statue on Dublin's Grafton Street. "He really brought so much life to the street," says Anna. "In fact, when he died, they carried his coffin down Grafton Street, and the shops all closed and contributed to the cost of his funeral." Another great character featured in the tour is Jack Saul. Born in the 1850s in the Liberties, Saul was a sex worker who worked in the brothels of Dublin before moving to London, where he often found himself embroiled in high-profile scandals. "This regular, working-class guy was having to appear in courtrooms against lords and dukes and things like that," she laughs. "So he really developed a bit of a name for himself, quite a scandalous figure."


The Irish Sun
4 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
‘This is hilarious' – Arthur Gourounlian leaves fans in stitches as he shares Blake and Blu comparison video
RTE star Arthur Gourounlian has left his fans in stitches after sharing a "hilarious" video of his daughters. The judge and his Six O'Clock Show host husband have two kids together, Blake, 2, and 11-month-old Blu. Advertisement 3 Arthur and Brian have two kids together Credit: Instagram 3 Arthur shared a 'hilarious' clip of Blake and Blu Credit: Instagram 3 The TV star showcased their different personalities Credit: Instagram The celebrity couple often share snippets of their day-to-day lives with their two little ones on The start of the video showed two-year-old Blake sitting calmly, doing arts and crafts, while relaxing music played in the background. The caption on the video read: "Our first born." Advertisement READ MORE ARTHUR GOUROUNLIAN It then cuts to "second born" baby Blu bouncing around, giggling and falling over as chaotic music played. Arthur wrote on his post: "Blake vs Blu." Fans and friends all raced to the comment section to share their love for the "hilarious" video. Lorraine said: "Oh I laughed out loud." Advertisement MOST READ IN THE IRISH SUN Fiona wrote: "This is hilarious the change of music had me howling." Denise commented: "Two beautiful clever babas. You and Brian are gonna have so fun and adventures." Arthur Gourounlian shares 'adorable' clip of daughter Blake's outfit Another added: "There both just gorgeous little girls." Arthur was recently brought "to tears" as his husband Advertisement Brian OFF AIR It was an "It's been an absolute blast. It's been an honour to sit in this chair for the length of time I have." Advertisement Fighting back tears, he added: "I'm sure a lot of people thought, 'Oh, Brian Dowling got a job - He'll be in it six weeks and he'll be gone'. I have given this show absolutely everything. "I became a dad on this show. I've had television success on this show. I've had it all on this show." Arthur, who had tuned in from home, shared an emotional tribute after hearing Brian's final sign-off, revealing it brought him "to tears". He wrote: "I listened to my husband saying goodbye to something he had given everything to for the last two and a half years - a show he didn't just work on - he lived it." Advertisement Praising his husband's passion, Arthur added: "Every morning, every laugh, every moment he poured his heart and soul into... and he loved every second of it."