Terry Prone speaks out

In an extraordinarily frank and hugely entertaining interview with Hot Press (to be published tomorrow, Thursday August 9), the journalist, commentator, author and high profile trainer Terry Prone talks to Hot Press' Olaf Tyaransen about her career to date, her dealings with Fr. Kevin Reynolds, her marriage to ex-priest Tom Savage, politicians and lots more...

A high achiever, Terry Prone first appeared on Irish television screens at the tender age of 13; treaded the boards of the Abbey Theatre as an actress within a year of leaving school; edited a national magazine before the age of 21 and wrote her first bestseller at 22. She reveals to Tyaransen, that she left the theatre for radio because she "simply could not stay thin".

"I was about five stone heavier than I am now," she explains, "and it was gently pointed out to me by the artistic director that a 19-year-old should be playing an ingenue."

Terry recalls the thought process behind her decision at the time, as follows: "'Okay, where's the one place that they can't see you at all? Radio! That's where I'm going'. So I got into radio and I was happy."

She also speaks about the hostile reaction to her marriage to ex-priest, Tom Savage; "I mean I had been told that I would never work again or never get work when it was known who I was marrying."
Prone, who describes television as a 'lousy medium' talks about the travails afflicting the Quinn family.

"Media, politicians, almost everybody, particularly in Dublin, look at this – I mean this CFD thing, he destabilised Anglo therefore he's partly responsible for the collapse of a nation. Yet in his own country, he's the man who brought employment: he's straightforward, upright and decent. And if you apply that to watching television, people take out of television precisely what they bring to it."

She also talks about her relationship with Padraig Flynn (describing him as one of her favourite clients) – and in particular the infamous appearance on the Late Late Show which many feel destroyed his political career.

"The terrible thing is that I didn’t see him on the Late Late Show," she explains. "My mother arrived the following day and, as she passed me coming into my house, she said, “Well, your friend didn’t do himself any favours last night.” I said “What friend?” And she said, “That Padraig Flynn…” and I was thinking, “Oh no!” Because I’d known he was going on, but I thought it was the following week. And when I didn’t ring him to say, “Okay, let’s talk this through,” he had decided I was too busy, and hadn’t rung me because he didn’t want to bother me.
When asked about a recent piece in the media suggesting that she was part of an unofficial government "kitchen cabinet", and has a high level of influence over Taoiseach Enda Kenny. Prone laughs and states:

"I’d be no use at that because I have loads of political ideas, but they would never be acceptable to any party that wanted to get re-elected... I’m desperately Green and would want everybody to have a newspaper recycling gadget in their front garden to make their own briquettes out of them. You know, it’s that level"

"The writer actually said a clever thing," she adds, "something along the lines of that my power and influence is 'hard to gauge and difficult to limit'. I think that is a really good way to put it, which means 'we don’t know!' (laughs). I am a trainer. I am the best at getting people to communicate in a way that is interesting, understandable and memorable. (loudly) Their beliefs are their own! If I wanted to enforce my beliefs on the world, I’d have gone into politics! I’d rather be dead!"

Speaking on the recent media controversy surrounding her assistance she gave to Fr. Kevin Reynolds, Prone reveals that she 'never met Fr. Kevin Reynolds' and explains that;

"An old priest rang me up and asked me to help, and I’d do it again, because that’s what you do. The day you stop being compassionate…"