Latest news with #Sinead
Sunday World
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Curvy Style influencer Sinead O'Brien on navigating grief after a double family tragedy
'I have good days and bad days but I never panic about it, that's just life.' 'I busted my zip on my dress for the VIP Awards. I need my own show, honest to God,' she laughs. 'I put up weight since my wedding and sure I put on the dress, I was like, be grand. And then no, the zip just literally went on me. I've just gone to have it altered, it's all fine, but there's always a drama.' It's been three years since we caught up with the Vacious founder, who's brought shapewear and body positivity to the masses. The last time we spoke, things were equally dramatic: the model was just days away from welcoming her darling baby boy, Jacob, into the world alongside husband Simon. But not even imminent labour could stop the fabulously unfiltered and fiercely uplifting Limerick native from picking up the phone. 'Jacob is three at the end of June. It's crazy. He's three going on 23 now, to be honest with you.' Laughing, the much-adored influencer adds: 'He's so much craic. He's so much fun and that bit older and his speech has come on so much.' And true to form, Sinead never does anything by halves. When she gave birth to Jacob on a brilliant summer's day in June, it wasn't the only arrival. Sinead's Vacious range of shapewear has been a big hit with women . 'Looking back, I don't think I ever took maternity leave for Jacob because I had only just launched Vacious. So I really couldn't take my foot off the pedal at the time because we had just launched the swimwear. "There was no way I could just say, 'OK, bye everyone.' I remember, sure, I was in the throes of labour there literally in the maternity ward and I'm like, 'did we sell any swimsuits?' I always say we had two launches that day,' she grins. Known for her honesty and relatability when it comes to motherhood and beyond, becoming a mum, she admits, was a crash course in chaos. 'I didn't know what I was doing. I remember I used to get little bits for Jacob before he was born. I got this big long brush, and I was like, that looks like a weird hairbrush. "And it was actually for cleaning the bottles. I put it online and the laugh that people got, they loved to see how clueless I was. 'I remember Simon practising how to change a nappy on a teddy bear. I mean we were that bad. We really were because yes, I have nieces, but I was like the cool auntie that waited until they were older to bring them to McDonald's. 'It truly does come to you naturally in the end,' she adds reassuringly. 'And my mom always said she couldn't get over how much of a good mam I was from the very start.' But the joy of Jacob's arrival was soon followed by unimaginable heartbreak. In 2023, Sinead lost her brother-in-law, former Ireland rugby player Tom Tierney, suddenly. Just nine days later, her beloved dad, Dobs, also sadly passed away. 'I'm a singer and I sang at Tom's funeral and then nine days later I went to put on that same dress to sing at my dad's funeral and it was still wet on the rad. There was no time in between whatsoever.' Reminiscing about the unbreakable bond she shared with her father, she recalls: 'My dad had great craic with me on Instagram. "He used to get collabs and all, he'd have people messaging saying, 'no, we want your dad.' "He would come on and he'd do little hauls with me and, do you know what, people loved is him and my mom's relationship because you could tell the way he'd look at her how much he loved her.' From heartwarming videos to sentimental posts, Sinead's Instagram remains a living scrapbook of moments with her father — memories cherished not only by her followers but by her son, Jacob. Sinead's Vacious range of shapewear has been a big hit with women . 'I've so many videos of him on my Instagram still that I often just look back on and it's lovely to have them and especially for Jacob. "I was the first one to have a boy in the family. My dad is surrounded by women all his life, so Jacob got to meet him, which was very important to me.' Navigating grief as best she can, the shapewear founder explains: 'I find the further out it gets, the more difficult it gets because you just realise they're not coming back. The first year you're almost running on adrenaline. Then the other days you learn how to manage.' In what should have been a joyful lead-up to her wedding in Portugal last September, Sinead was met with the crushing reality that both her dad and brother-in-law would be absent on the day. 'Everyone used to say to me, 'you're going to miss your dad so much for walking you up the aisle.' Which of course I did. But I have to say that anytime I pictured myself ever getting married, always, always, the thing that came into my head was the speeches. 'And for me, because my dad was such a larger than life character, it tore me up a bit more inside knowing that he wouldn't be standing up there talking about me, which is what he loved to do. 'So I wrote what I called a letter from heaven and it wasn't morbid, it was like him speaking to the crowd as if it was him. I just asked everyone to close their eyes, pretend it's my dad, and honestly you would've forgotten that it was me. And it was funny and witty and everyone was crying, but it was beautiful. So that was a really, really special moment.' Funnelling her energy and passion into her business, for the entrepreneur, shapewear is about more than smoothing lines — it's about building a mindset. 'I have women that contact me on a daily basis and say, 'I haven't been confident enough to go on a date with my husband because I didn't feel good, now I feel like I could take over the world.' Shapewear is a feeling that you get. It's what it does for you. It gives you confidence.' Read more Empowering women of all shapes and sizes is at the heart of Sinead's mission, and she's not shy about calling out the fashion industry for lagging behind. 'The fact that we go to size 28 I think is phenomenal. And I don't shout about that enough. I think there's no excuse for brands anymore at this point. I think it's honestly disgraceful that even at this stage, if I was going to a wedding, I can't walk onto a shop floor, I have to go online because they mainly only stock up to 16. There's no excuse for it.' Her frustration is clear, but so is her resolve to be part of the solution. 'You shouldn't have to be categorised at all. I mean, size eight to 28, they're just dress sizes and you are who you are. It's just the physical shops need to get their s**t together.' And while she champions self-love and body acceptance, Sinead is refreshingly candid about her own body image. 'I'll be completely honest with you now. I have good days and bad days. I lost weight before the wedding. I actually lost two stone and I walked every day and I was the healthiest and fittest I ever was.' Post-wedding life, however, brought some familiar fluctuations — and she embraces them with her trademark humour and perspective. 'Since then I've put back on a stone and look like that. The first thing I said to you today was I broke the bloody zip and the dress. I will never panic about these things. The dress can be fixed. 'I am bigger than I was now before my wedding. But I'm more than happy to go to the VIP side of awards because I know I look good regardless of what size I am. Because it's all about shapewear and also, where you are in your head. 'And yes, I definitely do want to get that weight back down because I did feel better. 'But the point I'm trying to make is you don't have to get upset or panic yourself when you do fall back a bit. That's life and it's normal.'
The Irish Sun
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
RTE viewers set for disappointment as hit show vanishes off screens in just DAYS in summer shake-up
RTE viewers set for disappointment as hit show vanishes off screens in just DAYS in summer shake-up , hosted by , and Sinead Kennedy, has been entertaining the nation for the past nine months. 2 Maura Derrane and Daithi O Se will be bidding farewell to viewers on Friday Credit: Social Media Collect 2 Today will return on air in autumn Credit: Reuters The popular chat show airs every Monday to Friday at 3.30pm to 5.40pm. Daithi co-hosts with Sinead every Monday and Tuesday before he's joined by Maura on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. However, the series will be wrapping up for its annual Sinead confirmed the departure date over on Instagram last Monday as she said it was the "second last week of the season". read more on today The Cork beauty added: "Thanks as ever to the wonderful team I work with week in and week out." Sinead had returned on air last September for a brand new season of 's hit afternoon show after her which she headed on in November 2023. She welcomed her second child Sinead, already mum to four-year-old daughter Indie with husband Conor Kirwan, spent some time in read more on the irish sun The hit chat show was jam-packed this season with appearances from many Today will be back on air in September for the new autumn RTE schedule. Maura Derrane shares 'beautiful' video from Italian holiday The broadcaster, who signed a three-season deal to take over after TV TWIST This For his last show of the season, the Down comic was joined by Meanwhile, Nadine Viewers also got treated to a performance of
Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
TikTok star slams controversial stylist Jamie Azzopardi for their 'rude' comment at Australian Fashion Week
Controversial stylist Jamie Azzopardi has become locked in yet another online feud as they were accused of making a 'rude' comment to a fashion student this week. The influencer, who uses they/them pronouns, allegedly told a budding TikTok star she was 'out of a job' while she was in the middle of work at Fashion Week. Sinead, who is a fashion assistant and student, detailed the moment in a video posted to her Instagram account. Jamie has since said her version of the interaction is not what happened. 'I was working for this brand yesterday doing interviews and street style videos,' Sinead began. 'I walked up to this girl and spoke to her, she was excited to be in the interview. There was a person standing behind the girl. I knew of this person. 'I tell her the brand I'm working with and this person comes over and says, "Oh, did I just hear [the brand]?" I said, "Yes, hi." 'They go, "I just heard that's been shut down. You're out of a job babe." I was stunned. And the girl I was interviewing? Her jaw was on the floor. 'The audacity you have to come up to me while I'm working, interacting with the public, telling me that I'm out of a job. 'If anyone was going to know that I'm out of a job, wouldn't it be me? 'What gives you the authority to come over to me and say that? What in your right mind makes you think that's alright? 'I'm also a human being. I'm working. It's just embarrassing. Actually infuriating... It's quite disrespectful.' Sinead added she did not share her experience to create drama, but wanted to start a conversation about etiquette in the fashion community as a whole. While Sinead did not mention Jamie's name in the video, she later confirmed they were the person she was talking about in a comment. The confirmation came after someone commented on a TikTok clip Jamie posted, saying: 'I wanna hear your side of the story. Did you really say that to that worker?' 'I'm sorry, did I really say what to what worker?' Jamie replied. When the commenter mentioned Sinead's video, the stylist added: 'You can believe what you'd like, but I'll be honest, that's not how I remember it going down. 'Hearing what the person they were talking had to say during the show, that's not how she remembers it either.' Jamie went on to say it was 'funny timing' the video came out after they were accused of 'calling out' influencer Sopha Dopha for her fashion choices. In an now deleted interview with Pedestrian TV, Jamie named Sopha, aka Sophia Begg, a 'micro-influencer boss' despite her 1.4 million followers. After Jamie told his follower Sinead was not recounting their interaction accurately, the fashion student then confirmed it had been Jamie she was talking about. 'I didn't name them as I am not looking for views... but since they don't want to take accountability, I will confirm it was Jamie Azzopardi,' she said. When Daily Mail Australia reached out to Jamie to tell their side of the story, they said: 'No comment.' After Jamie told his follower Sinead was not recounting their interaction accurately, the fashion student then confirmed it had been Jamie she was talking about Meanwhile, Sinead told Daily Mail Australia she 'wanted to shed light on the situation so as a community we can all do better'. 'I have also seen their comment and they refuse to take accountability. The girl I was interviewing has over 1 million followers,' she said. 'I highly doubt they spoke about the situation afterwards. She was as stunned as I was.' Jamie is no stranger to Fashion Week scandal. The non-binary influencer was also slammed this week for wearing Shein to the event. The brand has been shrouded in controversy for years following allegations of large-scale environmental impacts and the copying of designs from smaller fashion labels. A brown-hued fringe frock, which retails for $69.95 on Shein, Jamie wore on day two is seemingly a knock-off of a $3,945 Hervé Léger fringed bandage gown. Jamie even gave Shein a shout-out in a recent Instagram post, crediting the brand for the dress. This year, Fashion Week has pushed a strong message of sustainability with various shows, initiatives and installations. Jamie even gave Shein a shout-out in a recent Instagram post, crediting the brand for the dress This is why the dress didn't land well with other attendees of the event. During an interview with Pedestrian TV, when Jamie was asked who they considered a 'mico-influencer boss', they named Sopha Dopha. They also said while they admired Sopha's fashion choices, they weren't ones they would make for their own look. The statement was taken to heart by her fans, who leapt to her defence and slammed Jamie and their choice of dress in the comments of the video. 'Jamie literally wore a dress from Shein to day two. I don't think they're in a position to sit on a high horse about fashion,' one person wrote. 'So sick of certain people on a high horse because they're more creative or fashionable than someone else and the audacity to wear Shein. It's astounding,' another said.
The Irish Sun
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
‘Send him on his way' cry RTE Fair City viewers as Carol kicks Lorcan out & Mairead speaks openly to Damien
RTE Fair City viewers were all left saying the same thing after Carol sent Lorcan packing after he and Ruby got into a crash. On tonight's episode, Mairead told Damien she didn't want to move to Cashel. Advertisement 3 Mairead told Damien she wanted to remain in Carrigstown Credit: RTE 3 She was comforted by Tommy while in hospital Credit: RTE 3 Lorcan and Ruby stole Victor's cab to attend a concert in Kildare Credit: RTE And Lorcan tried to convince Ruby to borrow Victor's cab so they could attend a gig in Kildare. The promise of saving money convinced Paul to hand over his books to J. J's accountant. Certain she wouldn't get caught, Ruby was persuaded to take Victor's cab. However, she was horrified after she backed his cab into a lamppost. Advertisement read more on fair city Feeling guilty for persuading her to take the cab, Lorcan convinced Ruby to let him take the blame for the accident. However, he wasn't planning on footing the bill - and Carol was furious when she was left to pay for the damage Ruby caused to Victor's cab. Enraged by their antics, Victor forbade Ruby from seeing Lorcan, also at the end of her tether, Carol decided to send Lorcan packing. RTE Fair City viewers raced to social media to react to Lorcan and Ruby attempting to steal Victor's cab. Advertisement Most read in News TV One viewer remarked: "Crashed after literally 4 seconds. What's wrong with Dublin Bus?" Ciara tweeted: "Thelma and Louise are about to take off, well they back into a skip that's about as far as they get." First look at tonight's Fair City Sinead said: "Yeeeeeeeeeew Carol send him on his way." Another viewer joked: "I have hit worse to be fair." Advertisement Elsewhere on the show, Mairead was troubled over Dean's lack of a response but tried to hide it from Damien. While, Tommy advised Mairead to consider her options very carefully and Damien was grateful for Dean and Tommy's support while he prepared for Mairead to be discharged from hospital. AFFAIR CITY Ahead of her release, Mairead told Damien she wants to stay in Carrigstown. But secretly she and Dean wanted to try to figure out what the future could look like for them. Advertisement Meanwhile, Melanie tried to glean information on Darrell Kenny, but Joan refused to break confidentiality. And Maxine's cosy dinner plans were derailed when Sash was called into work last minute, forcing her to babysit Olivia. COLD CASE While Melanie fretted over the possibility of being implicated if Darrell was forced to give up his client list, Jess enjoyed making her squirm. She continued to antagonise Melanie by tapping her for info on Darren's case. Advertisement An opportunistic Nikki landed Maxine with the responsibility of minding her kids for the evening. DONE DINNER While in Maxine's care, Kim and Darren enjoyed testing the limits with their novice babysitter Maxine. Later, Jess has her suspicions confirmed after she tactfully probed Alex for more information on Melanie's exam results. With their dinner plans scuppered, a resilient Sash sent Nikki and her kids packing, so she and Melanie can spend an evening together. Advertisement A desperate Melanie was put on a final warning by Joan, who caught her trying to peek at the case files.
Irish Daily Mirror
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Irish couple's honeymoon takes wild turn amid accidental date with Pope Leo
A Co Donegal man who thought he was going to Waterford on his honeymoon ended up with a front row seat at the unveiling of new Pope Leo at the Vatican. Killybegs man Shane McCrudden was happy to stay in Ireland pottering about considering the good weather the country is having. But the love of his life had other plans. However, not even Sinead Doogan could have dreamt that things could have worked out so well for herself and her new husband. Because not only did they have the best day of their lives with the perfect wedding, but they also had their marriage blessed by new Pope Leo XIV. As beautiful as the sunny south-east is, Sinead decided in February to surprise Shane with a trip to Rome for their honeymoon. He only discovered her plan on the morning of their wedding when she left a letter for him at his house telling him of their trip to the famous city. Speaking from Rome, Shane said he was simply gobsmacked by the gesture. "I've been to most places in Ireland but I always fancied spending a few days in Waterford and I thought that was where we were going. "But Sinead surprised me with this trip to Rome and only told me in a letter she left at my house on Saturday morning last before the wedding. It was a beautiful surprise but never in my wildest dreams did I think it would lead to the most incredible few days we have just had," he said. The couple enjoyed the most beautiful wedding mass at St Mary of the Visitation Church in Killybegs before a memorable reception at An Chuirt Hotel under the shadow of Errigal Mountain in Gaoth Dobhair before flying to Rome on Tuesday. As organised as she is, Sinead did not plan for them to arrive in the middle of the succession plans of a new Pope into the Vatican following the passing of the late Pope Francis. The couple visited St Peter's Square on Wednesday before returning again yesterday only to be disappointed by the bellows of black smoke from the chimney on top of the Sistine Chapel. However, a local priest from Mexico whom Shane got chatting to suggested they should hang around as he felt news on the new Pope would not be far away. And after just two ballots, that news did arrive shortly after 6pm local time as white smoke spouted from the chimney announcing a successor had been found. Shane revealed he and Sinead were overcome with emotion. "I'm not an overly religious person but I do have my faith and I did shed a tear I was so emotional. The joy in the crowd was just overwhelming. "It was incredible to see the white smoke, it's a once in a lifetime event and most people will never see it in person. But for me the sound of the bells was just incredible. I have to say it did beat a few days in Waterford. It's something I doubt we will ever top in our lifetimes," said Shane. The couple flew back home to Donegal last night when they will do doubt have to tell the story of their honeymoon and their audience with the new Pope to family and friends. Having met 13 years ago at the Killybegs Summer Festival on the night Shane was elected Mayor of Killybegs, the last few days have undoubtedly been the highlight of their lives together. And who knows, they might just get to Waterford before they celebrate their first wedding anniversary!
