Latest news with #Xposé
Sunday World
6 days ago
- Health
- Sunday World
Lorraine Keane goes all in on pre-loved fashion with booming charity initiative
BIG HIT | 'I blew my first pay packet on Prada boots and my mom had to lend me my bus fare' The television star is among the 66,182 families across the country gearing up for the Leaving Cert exams this week. But her youngest daughter with musician husband Peter Devlin, Romy, is aiming high as she sets her sights on studying law at third level. 'She's working her ass off, God love her,' continues Lorraine. 'She's a great little actress, and she's an amazing singer, and she always said that she wanted to do music as a career, but she decided that she was going to follow the academic route first.' Lorraine with her daughters Emilia and Romy at the VIP Style Awards The former Xposé presenter now has a passion project of her own after setting up charity initiative Fashion Relief, which has raised a staggering €400,000 for Breast Cancer Ireland in just 18 months . And it all began when she decided to 'KonMari' her envious walk-in wardrobe at home in Monkstown, south Dublin, she tells Magazine+ , as she sifts through the latest haul of pre-loved gems destined for the Frascati Centre clothing store in nearby Blackrock. 'I'd come back from my 11th trip to the developing world, to Bangladesh, to see the garment workers who don't get paid a living wage. All these amazing, beautiful women who don't even get to see their children because they're living in slums and working in factories,' says Lorraine. Lorraine Keane with the TV3 Xpose presenters 'Seeing how fast fashion was destroying our planet and destroying lives. 'So I came back and decided to do a wardrobe clearout, and mentioned it to a couple of people in the business, and they were all like, 'Jesus, I'll give you some stuff' … anyway, it ended up turning into a massive event in the RDS.' Fast forward seven years, and the annual fashion spectacular, which went online during lockdown, has grown into the permanent boutique, which Lorraine says resells 'everything from Zara to Prada', with the stylish star having to resist the urge to buy more than she donates. 'Myself and [fellow managers] Michelle and Marie are probably the best customers, because we do get incredible pieces in,' she jokes. 'Everything's above board. I don't want people to think that I'm pricing it and then buying it — we have professional pricers that do that for us! 'For me, I've always loved finding a bargain, and boasting about it. I always shopped second-hand, as we used to call it back then. Lorraine and Peter Devlin married in 2003 'For me, it's even more special because it's unique. If it's a designer piece that you're getting at a bargain price, the fabric, the cut, everything is more superior, so you're getting a piece that has longevity; it's already been around for whatever amount of time, and it'll last.' Although relatively ruthless when it comes to clearing out, Lorraine, who also has her own gradual tanning cream called Decadence made by Irish brand Beauti Edit, admits there are some investment items she could never bear to part with. 'I have a lovely Jean Paul Gaultier two-piece that I bought for my first appearance on The Late Late Show with the gorgeous Gay Byrne, [and] I still get wear out of it. 'I've a pair of Prada boots that I bought for myself with my first wages in AA Roadwatch, we didn't earn that much, [but] I spent my entire month's salary on them… my mom had to lend me my bus fare. Lorraine Keane's Fashion Relief pre-loved clothing boutique . . 'I didn't have any money to go out, so I stayed in and wore them, and watched The Late Late Show three Friday nights in a row — I got out on the fourth,' she laughs. 'Imagine, I still have them — they're still absolutely perfect.' The boots have stood the test of time, and so too, has her association with tailbacks, Lorraine reveals, as she's still recognised as the voice of traffic updates in the pre-Google map era. 'Oh, my goodness, I was so lucky,' she reflects on the radio presenting gig that helped turn her into a household name. 'To be on national radio, and repeating my name time and time again. Lorraine at the shop in the Frascati Centre News in 90 Seconds - 3rd June 2025 'It opened up so many doors and opportunities for me, so it's [an association] I'll never get sick of, and I'm always proud of. 'In fact, it's the one thing I still [am known for],' adds Lorraine, who started out on TV subbing for Thelma Mansfield on Live at 3 alongside the late Derek Davis. 'I get into a taxi, and I'll be chatting away, and then nine times out of ten, the taximan will look in the wing mirror, and he'll go, 'Are you Lorraine Keane, AA Roadwatch?' So it won't be that they'll recognise my face, it's the voice — it's so funny.' In recent years, she's lent that instantly recognisable voice to the cause of women's health. Long before Davina McCall in the UK or Drew Barrymore in the US, the Dubliner was the first to normalise speaking openly about perimenopause and menopause in the public eye, and she recalls thinking long and hard about becoming Ireland's poster girl for 'the change'. Lorraine Keane's Fashion Relief pre-loved clothing boutique . . 'Oh my God, I was so nervous about it,' says the 53-year-old. 'Back then, it was seen as your last stage of life — you were old and decrepit and past it when you were in menopause. 'And that's why women were embarrassed and ashamed to talk about it, it was their dirty little secret: 'Sweep it under the carpet, just get on with it, put up and shut up'. 'I was 38 when I went into perimenopause, but because I had suffered in silence for so long, not knowing that that's what it was, and that it was something that I could actually manage, then I just thought, 'OK, this is ridiculous'. 'Why are we made to feel like this when there's nothing we can do about it? From feckin' PMS to periods, periods to pregnancy, pregnancy to postnatal depression to endometriosis… why? Because we were given the reproductive organs to do all this. 'There's no way God is a woman,' continues Lorraine, 'because if she was a woman, she would have spread it out more evenly. Read more 'Because then we go into perimenopause, or menopause, we're supposed to be embarrassed about it? No chance. We should be worshipped, we should be adored and minded, and cared for — it should be the opposite. That's why I was like, 'Screw this, I'm going to talk about this'. I just decided, 'Put your money where your mouth is, you're always saying you're a woman's woman, and we should support women more', and it's been the best thing I've ever done.' Far from 'past it', the mum-of-two was the picture of glamour when she attended the VIP Style Awards with her two daughters, Emelia (21), who has just earned a drama degree, and Romy last month, and she says it's down to weight lifting that the three, three decades apart, can share frocks. 'I love the fact that my daughters say, 'It's not about being skinnier, mom, it's about being stronger',' tells Lorraine, who does three 30 minute workouts per week. 'When we were growing up, we were told, 'Eat less carbs, pound the pavements', whereas now we realise that's actually wrong; we need to be eating more protein and we need to do more weight resistance training. 'It was lovely to have the opportunity to get dressed up, and to see the event through their eyes, because I've been going for a long time now, 22 years. 'The stage they're at, 18 and 21, it's great now that they can actually share my wardrobe with me. I wouldn't say now that I'd share much of theirs — but they can definitely dip into mine!'
Sunday World
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Former Irish model and TV presenter ties the knot in low-key New York courthouse ceremony
Ruth O'Neill and new hubby Christian Trautwein are set to wed again in Italy later this year. Former Irish model and TV presenter Ruth O'Neill has tied the knot at a low-key New York courthouse ceremony. The 37-year-old wed her fiancé Christian Trautwein on Friday ahead of their luxurious destination wedding in Italy this coming September. '5.23.25 NYC made it official!,' she captioned a video of herself and her new husband as they were showered with confetti following their nuptials. Ruth wore a stunning white blazer dress with white pointed shoes. She paired the look with a small bouquet of pink and white peonies and orchids. They celebrated the ceremony with a family dinner at Il Buco, an Italian restaurant on Bond Street. Her followers rushed to the comments to congratulate the bride and groom. 'Congratulations!!! ,' Rosanna Davidson gushed. 'Gorgeous!!!! Congratulations ❤️❤️❤️' her former Xposé co-host Cassie Stokes added. 'Awwwww bihgest (sic) congrats,' stylist Courtney Smyth said. O'Neill moved back to New York City in 2019, after leaving TV3 in 2017. The presenter worked on the magazine show Xposé after returning to Ireland from America, where she had lived since she was 22. She moved stateside to work with E! News as an entertainment reporter, interviewing stars on the red carpets of LA. 'There wasn't really much of a plan. I mean, there was no plan,' the Castleknock woman previously told Irish Independent of her big move. Ruth O'Neill (Instagram) News in 90 Seconds - May 27th 'I knew no one, I'd never even visited the city. I'd no idea what it even looked like. "I had no friends, no job, no contacts, little or no experience. "I'd never lived away from home, but I think you need that young fearlessness.'
Sunday World
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Aisling O'Loughlin says ‘story' of controversial rap video in Freemasons Hall was ‘buried'
Last month, it emerged that the video to the song 'Spit in it!' featuring Irish rapper Eskimo Supreme was shot inside the Freemasons' HQ on Molesworth Street Former Xposé presenter Aisling O'Loughlin has suggested the 'story' of a controversial music video featuring a rapper on Conor McGregor's music label in the historic Freemasons Hall in Dublin was 'buried'. Last month, it emerged that the video to the song 'Spit in it!' featuring Irish rapper Eskimo Supreme was shot inside the Freemasons' HQ on Molesworth Street. The video that made grotesque sexual references to the late British queen was condemned as obscene and 'morally repugnant'. It was set in the same venue used by McGregor and right-wing US commentator Tucker Carlson to film an interview, which later resulted in the Irish Freemasons apologising and pledging to make a €2,500 charity donation. Conspiracy theorist O'Loughlin offered her take on the controversy in a post on X where she claimed: 'If Conor McGregor really was up against the Irish Establishment - they would have destroyed him for this disgusting video from his record label made in the Grand Lodge of Ireland where he did the Tucker interview. 'It's telling they buried the story.' It's not clear who the 'they' is that she is referring to but the story was widely reported at the time. A piece in the Irish Independent at the time reported how the professionally produced music video included actors dressed as dissident republicans in balaclavas and combat gear imprisoned behind wire in the Victorian room. They yell at an actor playing the Queen, using foul language: 'We are political prisoners and we demand political status.' An explainer below the video states that the British Government has 'unlocked a freak scientific discovery whereby the saliva of Irish dissident republicans morphs a royal family member into a dragon...' including a grotesque sexual reference. It adds: 'Theorists believe that the British Government wanted to create this royal dragon to use as a weapon of war.' In the video, the prisoners are then released one by one to spit on the Queen, following which each one is shot dead by one of the guards. The song, which is dominated by sexualised slurs, plays throughout. At the end of the video, the Queen is transformed into a dragon and is seen flying over London. The lyrics include references to Irish broadcaster Pat Kenny and RTE's The Late, Late Show. Former Xposé presenter Aisling O'Loughlin Having been watched more than 100,000 times on YouTube in the five days since it was posted, comments described it as 'crazy', 'insane', and 'madness'. Philip AJ Daley, grand secretary of the Freemasons in Ireland, later confirmed that a probe is under way in relation to the use of their hall for the video. 'It would be inappropriate to make any further statement until our investigation is complete,' he told the Independent. The Freemasons of Ireland had earlier said that 'incalculable' damage was caused to the organisation by Tucker Carlson's interview with Conor McGregor. A screen grab from the controversial video News in 90 Seconds - May 15th The organisation apologised last month and said it would not have accepted the booking if it knew what the venue was being used for. It said the Grand Lodge Conduct Committee would investigate the use of the Grand Lodge Room, and a risk assessment will be carried out into the security of its venue at 17 Molesworth Street. Lodge rooms will also be only used for 'Lodge purposes' and no 'non-masonic meetings' will be held in the Lodge rooms 'until further notice'. At a meeting of the Grand Masters Council this week, the organisation also decided it would make an anonymous donation of €2,500 to 'an appropriate non-political charity'. Richard S G Ensor, the Grand Master Elect, told members the venue was used for 'grossly inappropriate purposes' by allowing the interview to take place there. 'The Grand Lodge of Ireland does not comment on any political matter and so regrets letting our premises facilitate any political discussion,' he said in an email to members. He said the Freemasons are now 'fighting to restore our reputation' following the airing of the interview. 'The damage that has been caused in recent days is incalculable,' Mr Ensor said. 'I look for your support to get us over this unpleasant time and steer us back on the right path. I am personally abhorred at what has taken place and extend my personal apology to our members, family and friends.' O'Loughlin has previously taken pot shots at McGregor, claiming in December 2023 that gardai used far right 'mercenaries' such as the MMA fighter to confuse and mislead the public following the stabbings on Parnell Square that November. The ex-TV3 star turned conspiracy theorist warned readers of her Substack page to be aware of 'false narratives' that are being built 'to manage the public's perception'. Referring to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, whose 'own cops don't have any faith in his abilities to govern fairly', O'Loughlin says it appears he has 'a little plan in store for those (right on cue) Conor McGregor fans and Antifa mercenaries'. The Tucker Carlson with McGregor 'Take a bow,' she writes. 'Oh look some ready to roll art-work depicting McGregor as some kind of working class hero. 'Not the fame and money-hungry showbiz hard-man who sold out his fans during lockdown by badly reading a government scamdemic script. Sorry but it will take a lot more to convince us this time around. Has he really switched sides? We'll see. 'Looks a lot like more propaganda from where I'm standing. He may be saying all the right things, for now, but what's the end-game here? "Is there money involved? Is McGregor really speaking up out of the goodness of his heart? Highly unlikely.'
