| Dermot O'Leary | |
|---|---|
O'Leary at the 2009 auditions of The X Factor in Cardiff |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Seán Dermot Fintan O'Leary, Jr. |
| Born | 24 May 1973 |
| Origin | Colchester, Essex, England, UK |
| Genres | Pop culture |
| Occupations | Television presenter, radio DJ, comedian |
| Years active | 1999–present |
Dermot O'Leary (born Seán Dermot Fintan O'Leary, Jr.) is an Irish-British television and radio presenter. He established himself as a presenter of Big Brother's Little Brother on Channel 4 before moving on to The X Factor on ITV. O'Leary has also presented on the BBC and has his own radio show on BBC Radio 2. He is also notable for being the last person to introduce Michael Jackson in public before his death.
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O'Leary was born in Waterford in Ireland. He attended primary school in Marks Tey and later St Benedict's Catholic College in Colchester, graduating with two General Certificates of Secondary Education,[1] and Colchester Sixth Form College.
O'Leary studied at Middlesex University, achieving a degree in Media and Television with Politics. He achieved a 2:2. He left school with only two GCSEs. Whilst at Middlesex University he developed an interest in comedy and was involved in various gigs in the student union. He was also a member of the University chess society. (Citation many references in Uni Magazine of the era)
O'Leary started as a disc jockey at Essex Radio[2] before becoming a runner on the TV show Light Lunch with Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins and then presenter at Channel 4, 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.
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.
In August 2006, O'Leary signed a deal to present the game show 1 vs. 100, which aired on Saturday nights on BBC One in combination with the National Lottery draws.
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." While presenting the show he reportedly upset Celine Dion among other things, later saying he "literally had to shut her up".[3]
In March 2009, O'Leary introduced Michael Jackson to an audience of fans at the The O2 in what turned out to be Jackson's final public appearance before his death.[4][5][6][7]
In May 2009, O'Leary became the new host of Matt Lucas and David Walliams' Rock Profile.[8]
In March 2010, O'Leary hosted a spinoff edition of the BBC One show Question Time, which aired on BBC Three, aimed at first time voters.[9] In June 2010, O'Leary hosted Soccer Aid on ITV.
He has on several occasions expressed interest in hosting The Rose of Tralee,[10][11] particularly after Ray D'Arcy, a host with whom he has exchanged public banter,[12] vacated the role in 2010.[13]
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 late 2003.
He joined BBC Radio 2 in September 2004, presenting a Saturday afternoon show entitled Dermot's Saturday Club which ran from 2pm to 4pm. Following a number of changes to the length and timing of Dermot's programme, due in part to the arrival of Chris Evans to Radio 2 and his role as presenter of The X Factor, his show has broadcast between 3pm and 6pm since April 2009.
O'Leary's Radio 2 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, Foo Fighters, The Go! Team, Bloc Party, Ben Kweller, The Magic Numbers, Moby and Kate Nash. O'Leary also hosts Radio 2's coverage of the Brit Awards and South by Southwest. He won a Sony Gold Award for Music Programme of the Year in 2008 and again in 2010.[14]
O'Leary supports Arsenal Football Club, Celtic Football Club, London Irish Rugby Football Club and politically the Labour Party. He can be heard on the 'Footballistically Arsenal' podcast with his friends and fellow Arsenal fans Dan Balwdin and Boyd Hilton, and on this show it was mentioned that he owns shares in the club. He supports Wexford GAA in Gaelic Games, attending matches in the past. He has identified himself as a left-wing socialist.[16] 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 O'Leary was in his late teens, he played American football for his local team, the Colchester Gladiators. In his early years, he was good friends with Lord Gimpett, with whom he lived In London. 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.[17] He is also a practising Roman Catholic, having contributed to the collection of essays Why I am Still Catholic in 2005. In the February 2008 issue of the Irish magazine, Social and Personal, O'Leary was voted the sexiest man in Ireland out of the Top 100.
O'Leary has campaigned on behalf of Make Poverty History, and has visited Sierra Leone with CAFOD accompanied by his father. 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.[18][19]
On 19th November 2011 episode of Xtra Factor, it was announced that Dermot is now engaged to his long-term girlfriend Dee Koppang.[20][21][22]
He co-owns the FishyFishy restaurants in Brighton [23] and Poole.
O'Leary says his funeral song would be "Tonight We Fly" by The Divine Comedy.[24]
| Preceded by Kate Thornton |
Host of The X Factor 2007–present |
Incumbent |
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