How agreeable are you?
It depends who I’m talking to. I’m generally very good at listening to other people’s perspectives. So generally, pretty agreeable I would say.
What’s your middle name and what do you think of it?
My middle name is Diane and it’s my mum’s name. It’s probably not the most imaginative name but I like that I carry my mum with me wherever I go. I don’t use it very often obviously, just for things like passport applications, documents and things. But I like that it’s very personal to me.
Where is your favourite place in Ireland?
I grew up in Dalkey and I still love going down to Coliemore Harbour and looking across the sea to Dalkey Island. It’s one of my favourite spots for just having a walk and a think.
Describe yourself in three words.
Friendly. Loyal. Inquisitive.
When did you last get angry?
You mean today? I have three small children so I have to, unfortunately, give out – probably more than the normal person. But it’s not anger with small children; it’s getting them to listen. So, this morning – it’s always chaos getting them out the door, into the car and off to school in the morning. I do the school run every morning – I have to ask them repeatedly to put their shoes on and get outside. It’s not really anger. It’s more raising your voice a little bit so that everyone listens. A quick freak seems to get them to listen, doesn’t it?
What have you lost that you would like to have back?
Spontaneity. I’ve lost a certain element of freedom in having children, and I wouldn’t change it for the world – it’s what I wanted – but I miss the spontaneity that I used to have. For example, my brothers live in London, so I used to be able to pop off to visit them for the weekend if I felt like it. I’ve lost the spontaneity. But then you gain everything else.
What’s your strongest childhood memory?
One of my earliest childhood memories is waking up on Christmas morning, I guess I was about three-and-a-half or four, and Santa had left a Fisher Price kitchen in the bedroom. I remember the excitement and the magic of waking up to find a new toy in my bedroom, and the magic of Christmas as a child, and running downstairs and turning on the Christmas lights with my dad [Chris de Burgh]. That’s what we try to recreate at Christmas as well for our children, that sense of magic.
Where do you come in your family’s birth order, and has this defined you?
I am the first, and I’m the only girl. I’ve two younger brothers. And I think that it definitely affected me. I was the guinea pig of the family. I was the one that was given a mobile phone first. I was the one who had to be better behaved. I was the one that the family’s behaviour was based on.
I think when my younger brother came along my mum didn’t have the time or energy to worry as much so he got away with more. I was the only child for four years before the first of my two brothers came along, so I was given all that attention for four years and then Mum’s attention was divided. So I think that affects you in some way as well.
What do you expect to happen when you die?
I like to think there is some kind of afterlife where we’re reunited with humans and pets that we’ve loved. I’ve no real basis for that but it would be nice. I think that’s what keeps us going, the sense that it’s not all final.
When were you happiest?
I really enjoyed 2024. I found I managed to achieve a balance between my personal and professional life, work and career. The children are all in school now – well, two in preschool and one in junior infants. And this has given me that little bit more flexibility. I feel like a different person since becoming a mum, so it feels like life is beginning all over again as a new person.
Which actor would play you in a biopic about your life?
As a teenager in the 1990s and a fan of Friends, I’d say Jennifer Aniston. I really like her sense of energy and fun and personality. I think she would represent me well. There’s a bit of cheekiness in her.
What’s your biggest career/personal regret?
I can’t think of any regrets. I feel that with every decision I make, I do it for the best possible reason, with the information I have at the time, with the best intentions. I have a great sense of self-belief in myself and my decision making.
Have you any psychological quirks?
More than anything I annoy myself with how organised I am. I do the kids’ lunch boxes before I go to bed. I leave out their clothes. I leave out my outfit. I don’t procrastinate. My efficiency annoys me sometimes. I just wish I could relax more and be less efficient.
