| Andrea Roche | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ireland |
| Other names | Rochey[1] |
| Height | 5'8 |
| Hair color | black |
| Eye color | green |
| Agency | andrearochemodelagency |
Andrea Roche is an award-winning Irish model, socialite and occasional television personality. She took part in the RTÉ One reality sports television series Celebrity Bainisteoir in 2009 and features on a weekly basis on the TV3 show Ireland AM. Despite retiring from full-time modelling in 2008, she is still regarded as "the most famous of the Irish Models" and has been credited herself with discovering models such as Jenny Lee Masterson, Sarah Morrissey, Pippa O'Connor and Miss World 2003 Rosanna Davison.[1]
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Roche began her career as a model, "constantly in the papers, doing a lot of commercial work, being photographed and sharing the Catwalk with Tyra Banks, Naomi Cambell, Sophie Dahl and Yasmin Le Bon. Andrea was a top ten contender in Miss Universe shortly after being crowned Miss Ireland.[2] Roche also has a post as beauty editor with VIP and is the fashion editor of South East Wedding magazine and appears weekly on TV3's Ireland AM as their fashion expert.[1] Roche reduced her modelling to dedicate more time to the Miss Universe Ireland pageant when Mags Humphries, her business partner at the Assets agency, departed for Australia.[3]
Roche met Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones at the MTV Europe Music Awards 1999 in Dublin, claiming that he was "really smarmy and he gave it a fair try at chatting me up".[1] She has also met and knowsBono quite well and has witnessed U2's concerts on several occasions.[1]
Roche took part in the second series of the RTÉ One reality sports television series Celebrity Bainisteoir in 2009. She was described as being "among the less likely contestants" to take part,[4] even confessing in the first episode that she had very little knowledge of the Gaelic Athletic Association–"I barely know the format of a game".[5] However, to learn more, she read Kean to Succeed, A Trip Into the World of GAA by Gerald Kean, the celebrity solicitor who participated in the first series.[1] She expressed her dislike of wearing "mucky wellies" and having to do without cosmetics during training[1] and got through it by shouting "Go on lads!" repeatedly.[2] Roche managed Rockwell Rovers GAA from County Tipperary.[4] Her team played in the second quarter-final of the series against St Michael's GAA of County Roscommon, who were managed by John Waters. Roche and Waters were seen training with GAA All Stars winners Tony McManus and Declan Browne.[4]
She has been described as "a great beauty" by the ageing veteran broadcaster Derek Davis[6] and as both "a recession-busting beauty" and "Ireland's greatest beauty" by the Irish Independent.[1][7]
In July 2010, she settled a libel action against the Irish Daily Mail and Ireland on Sunday over false allegations they published about her in June and July 2006. The two papers "unreservedly" apologised for "distress, embarrassment and damage" caused by them and Andrea said she was "just happy" her name and reputation had been rescued.[8]
Roche won the VIP Most Stylish Woman award at the VIP Style Awards in 2008 and is always listed as one of the most stylish females in Ireland.[9]
Roche was raised outside Clonmel, County Tipperary.[1] She sat her Leaving Certificate at Rockwell College after attending the Loreto Secondary School.[10] Roche moved to Carlow to do Business Studies at the Regional Technical College, then moved to Dublin to pursue her modelling career. Despite this she has not "dropped her bogger accent for a D4 bray".[1]
Her mother, Marion, has battled cancer,[2] with Roche returning home on a regular basis during her chemotherapy treatment.[1] Roche has selected her favourite quote as being credited to Gandhi: "Freedom is not worth having if it doesn't include the freedom to make mistakes. Because I think people beat themselves up too much when they make mistakes: we are human, after all".[1]
In December 2011, Roche got engaged to businessman Rob White at the Eiffel Tower in Paris.[11]
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