Travelling Light
She was the face of No Frontiers for a decade but when that show ended Kathryn Thomas had to reinvent herself. So she put away her rucksack and took a job presenting Winning Streak. Then Gerry Ryan passed away and she found herself stepping into his shoes on Operation Transformation. In a revealing interview she discusses her ‘rivalry’ with Grainne Seoige over hosting The Voice, losing her virginity at 17 – and why RTE needed to stop paying its stars so much.
Olaf Tyaransen, 21 Mar 2012
Was it a comfortable upbringing?
We were very lucky. We never wanted for anything, but at one stage there were nine students living in the house with us because the IT was across the road. So my mom had lodgers and we were all up in one room in the attic and the downstairs rooms belonged to them. Fair play to my mother, they had the sitting room and we had the kitchen so the house was divided. It was always busy, like a train station. People always coming and going. She managed it. She would say that it was tough and really hard work but, for us, it was new faces every year.
Was it a religious upbringing?
No. My mom is Catholic, my dad is Church of Ireland. My mom still goes to mass every Sunday. I’m not a believer. It was never forced down our throats. We would go to mass at Christmas time or Easter or whatever, which my nana still can’t get over. She’s my mom’s mom and is Catholic. She was at mass twice a day. She’d always be praying for us that we’d find the light. Unfortunately none of us have!
So you don’t believe in God?
I always find it difficult to answer this question. I don’t believe in God, I don’t. I find myself, like everybody, praying to something when something goes wrong or when you need something, your family or whoever has health problems. But no, I wouldn’t believe in God. I think there’s something out there. I don’t know what it is.
Do you believe in life after death?
No, I don’t believe in life after death either.
We’re worm fodder.
Yeah. I believe we’re given this chance and you should live to the best of your abilities, have fun. That’s one of my biggest beliefs – life should be fun. You should live each day as if it’s your last. Having travelled and learned a little bit about Buddishm and Hinduism and various different religions from around the world, I find the whole area of spirituality very interesting. I don’t have a definite ‘this is what I believe’. I think positivity and spirituality are important to people. My nana’s faith is everything to her. She lost two husbands and had a difficult life herself. She’s said she wouldn’t be anywhere without her faith and she has that positivity so whatever that spirituality gives her, it is enhancing her life. It’s great.
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Olaf Tyaransen
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