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Dermot O'Leary

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Dermot O'Leary
O'Leary at the 2009 Cardiff auditions of The X Factor
Born
Seán Dermot Fintan O'Leary, Jr.
Years active1998–present
Career
ShowThe X Factor
ShowBig Brother's Little Brother
CountryUnited Kingdom

Dermot O'Leary (born Seán Dermot Fintan O'Leary, Jr. on 24 May 1973) is a Colchester-born Irish presenter of radio and television, best known for presenting Big Brother's Little Brother and The X Factor.

Career

Early life

Dermot O'Leary attended St. Benedict's Roman Catholic School in Colchester from which he left with 2 GCSEs,[1] and Colchester Sixth Form College. He studied for a BA degree in Media and Television, with modules in politics, at Middlesex University, gaining a 2:2. He is of Irish descent and both his parents are from Ireland. Dermot attended Saint Mac Daras Community College in Dublin for several years.

Television presenting

He started as a television runner on the TV Show Light Lunch with Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins and then presenter at Channel 4, being part of the original presenting line up of the channel's T4 strand, before moving on to present Big Brother's Little Brother (the companion show to Big Brother) on E4 from 2001 onwards. As of 2006, the show became less popular due to the huge success of fellow Big Brother sister show Big Brother's Big Mouth. O'Leary shares the same talent agency as Russell Brand and Davina McCall - John Noel Management. On 27 November 2007, it was announced that Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack was to be O'Leary's last series of Big Brother, and that he would not return in summer 2008. After seven years he made his final Big Brother appearance on 28 January 2008. A special 'Best Bits' trail was played, after which, O'Leary looked close to tears.

O'Leary presented the UK version of the game show 1 vs 100, aired on Saturdays nights on BBC One in combination with the National Lottery draws. However, the show is now hosted by Ben Shephard.

On 29 March 2007, it was announced that O'Leary would replace Kate Thornton as the new host of ITV's The X Factor for at least two series. Speaking after the announcement he said: "I was very flattered to be offered the job to host such a hugely successful show. I'm really looking forward to working with Simon Cowell and the team on the kind of Saturday night entertainment show I grew up watching."

In March 2009, O'Leary introduced Michael Jackson to a large audience of fans in London in what turned out to be Jackson's final public appearance before his death, with the two sharing an affectionate hug.[2][3][4][5]

In May 2009, O'Leary became the new host of Matt Lucas and David Walliams' Rock Profile.[6]

Radio

O'Leary joined London's Indie rock station XFM in 2001 firstly presenting weekday mid-mornings from 10 am–1 pm, before moving to a Saturday evening show in mid 2002, where he remained until he was fired from the station in late 2003, due to poor ratings.

O'Leary joined BBC Radio 2 in September 2004, presenting a Saturday afternoon show entitled Dermot's Saturday Club. Since September 2005, following the arrival of Chris Evans at the station, he has presented a Saturday evening show for Radio 2. The show was originally broadcast from 5:00–7:00 pm, but since 18 November 2006 it has gone out from 4:30–6:30 pm. Due to commitments with TV Show The X Factor, Dermot can now be heard in his original time slot of 2-4pm on Saturdays. The show focuses on new music and live sessions, and has featured live sessions from the likes of Oasis, Supergrass, The Raconteurs, Massive Attack, Kasabian, Guillemots, The Zutons, Alesha Dixon, Beck, The Lemonheads, Lily Allen, the Foo Fighters, The Go! Team, Bloc Party, Ben Kweller, The Magic Numbers, Moby and Kate Nash. O'Leary also hosts Radio 2's Brits and South by Southwest coverage. O'Leary won a Sony Gold Award for Music Programme of the Year in 2008. [1]

Personal life

In interviews (including two with the British newspaper The Guardian), O'Leary has stated that he supports Arsenal, Celtic and the Labour Party. He is of Irish descent and also supports Wexford GAA teams and has attended matches in the past. He has identified himself as a left-wing socialist.[7] He is also a practising Roman Catholic, having contributed to the collection of essays Why I am Still Catholic in 2005. During an appearance as a studio guest on Fantasy Football Euro 2004, O'Leary spoke of his support for the Republic of Ireland football team. When in his late teens he played American Football for local team the Colchester Gladiators.

O'Leary has campaigned on behalf of Make Poverty History, and has visited Sierra Leone with CAFOD accompanied by his father, Sean O'Leary. He is also a patron of the male cancer awareness campaign, Everyman. In 2003, he played in a charity match for the Colchester Gladiators as a punt returner, helping to raise £2,500 for the Barnardo's children's fund.[8][9]

He ran the 2005 London Marathon (his third) under four hours for the first time. In 2007 he was an usher at the wedding of Holly Willoughby.[10]

He has been with his girlfriend, Dee Koppang, for over six years, and they live together in North London.[11][12][13]

He says his funeral song would be "Tonight We Fly" by The Divine Comedy.[14]

In the February 2008 issue of Irish society magazine Social and Personal, Dermot was voted the sexiest man in Ireland out of the Top 100.[citation needed]

Shows hosted

The following is a list of the main shows O'Leary has presented:

Television

Radio

  • XFM Weekday Mid-Mornings - (2001-2002)
  • XFM The Weekender Saturday Evenings - (2002-2003)
  • BBC Radio 2 Dermot's Saturday Club Saturdays 2-4pm (2004-2005)
  • BBC Radio 2 The Dermot O'Leary Show Saturdays 5-7pm (2005-2006), Saturdays 4.30-6.30pm (2006-2007), Saturdays 2-4pm (during The X Factor, Nov-Dec 2007), Saturdays 2-5pm (2008-2009), Saturdays 3-6pm (2009-)

References

  1. ^ Sims, Fiona. "Fishy Fishy: Dermot O'Leary's restaurant is the reel deal". The Times. Retrieved 29 June 2009.
  2. ^ Michael Jackson Announces Plans For Summer Residency At The O2 Arena (Dermot O'Leary) Zimbio, 5 March 2009
  3. ^ Samson, Pete (7 March 2009) What Jacko said to Dermot: Dermot, is the teleprompter on? The Sun
  4. ^ Youngs, Ian (5 March 2009) 'Final curtain call' for Jackson BBC News Online
  5. ^ Michael Jackson announces O2 Arena London gigs - and retirement? NME 5 March 2009
  6. ^ Rock Profile:Peter Andre & Jordan Pt.1 Funny or Die
  7. ^ Rookwood, Dan (7 February 2003) Small Talk: Dermot O'Leary The Guardian
  8. ^ "Team History". Colchester Gladiators American Football Club. Retrieved 21 May 2008.
  9. ^ "Colchester Gladiators - 20th Anniversary Reunion Game". Britball Now. 19 October 2003. Retrieved 13 May 2008.
  10. ^ Holly Willoughby exclusive: Why she loves wearing those revealing dresses. Daily Mirror.
  11. ^ Fulton, Rick (30 September 2005) Relax, Girls, Dermot Is Not Getting Married The Daily Record
  12. ^ Williams, Andrew (23 July 2007) 60 SECONDS: Dermot O’Leary Metro
  13. ^ My Secret Life: Dermot O'Leary, broadcaster The Independent 28 July 2007
  14. ^ Dermot O'Leary Biography BBC Radio 2
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