05-05-2025
Dermot O'Leary reveals real reason he'll never do reality TV
Dermot O'Leary has "never" had any interest in reality TV.
The 'This Morning' presenter - who previously hosted the likes of 'The X Factor' and 'Big Brother' - has insisted he has no desire to actually compete on a series like that himself.
He told the Daily Star newspaper: "I've never really been interested in doing a reality show because I've got a job.
"I've always been blessed enough and hard-working enough to be busy.
"Unless I was doing a show for a particular reason, what am I doing it for?"
Despite receives some offers over the years, he's not been tempted - and he shrugged off the idea of needing to do reality shows to let people see the "real" him.
He added: "I've been offered a couple of things, but it's never been something I've wanted to do.
"It's not that I don't want to show people the real me. I do live radio and when you do that, people get a sense of who you are.
"But it's just not something I want to do."
Dermot - who has four-year-old son Kasper with his wife Dee Koppang - also pointed to how both his own tastes and the projects he gets offered have changed as he's grown older.
The 51-year-old presenter explained: "My career has shifted over the years. I don't get offered the same shows now as I did in my 20s and 30s.
"I'm at a stage where I want to do things that interest me and things that fit around my life. You only get one life.
"There are a couple of jobs I've turned down because I don't want to be away from home for a long time."
However, Dermot was delighted to jump on board new U+Dave gameshow 'Silence Is Golden', where the studio audience has the chance to win up to £250,000 if they can stay quiet during challenges, with variety acts from knife throwers to strippers trying to catch them out.
Dermot said: "When I was told about the show, I felt like it was something different to anything else on TV. It's a new, fun idea. That's why I wanted to do it."
