Psychologies UK 04.2020

INTERVIEW DANIELLE WOODWARD

Dermot O’Leary

The broadcaster, TV presenter and author talks about what inspires

him, what riles him, and how everyone should have a few regrets

I learned how to keep going during low points when I

was 14 years old, playing rugby for a team in Colchester

where I grew up. Not only did we never win a game, we

never even scored a point! It was a big life lesson – I learned

about teamwork, sticking together and endurance. I still

play five-a-side football with two of the guys from that

team; we’ve been friends for nearly 30 years.

I believe in a meritocracy; you have to work hard

at something if you want to succeed. After university,

I knew I wanted to get into TV and I wrote 300 letters

to production companies and got something like 295

rejections. I got a job as a runner with a documentary

company and did work experience on the weekends for

the radio station BBC Essex. That was my apprenticeship.

When I was first in front of the camera, it felt right.

I never wanted to be on telly for the sake of it; I wanted

to do something exciting and, as soon as I started doing live

TV, I realised I wanted to do it more than anything else.

I used to work as a waiter and commis chef and it ticks

the same box – you’re putting on a show with one shot

to get it right. I love it when the adrenalin kicks in!

Friends who are more famous than me ask how

I cope with being recognised, when they are practically

prisoners in their own homes, but I just do neighbourhood

living. The first time you walk into the greengrocer’s,

they might ask, ‘Are you that bloke o‹ the telly?’, then

the third time you go in there, you’re just Dermot.

I’m still a Catholic and it’s because my religion

was never forced on me. It was always a backbone and

structure to my life as opposed to strict doctrine. A lot of

the values that I hold dear come from a culturally Catholic

upbringing, but there’s a lot I don’t agree with too. Loyalty

is important to me; also compassion, duty, forgiveness,

fairness, acceptance, fun and having principles.

Intolerance makes me angry – the everyday intolerance

of people being rude to each other for no reason. Also,

I can’t bear it when people use a moral framework as an

excuse to be judgmental and intolerant of others, backing it

up with some notion that it’s the right thing to do.

I love writing the Toto books; taking time and losing

myself in it. [Children’s fiction writer O’Leary recently

announced that he and his wife, Dee, are expecting their

first child.] I shower and have breakfast, then write until

lunchtime. After lunch, I’m useless! At the end of the day, I

look over what I’ve done. As long as I’m disciplined, it works.

Everyone should have regrets; I don’t understand

people who say they don’t have any. I would have

said yes more and gone out with more girls! When

I was 16, it looked too much like duty and commitment,

which was terrifying to me when you could just be having

fun with your mates, both male and female. I’d also

have done my chef’s qualification and trained properly

to be a chef. I still might do that.

I love talking to people and hearing their stories.

My breakfast show on BBC Radio 2 has made me a better

broadcaster and a lot more disciplined as it’s only two hours

long. I used to have an afternoon show and could luxuriate

in chatting to the guests. I got the idea for my podcast,

People, Just People, from that; it’s just me talking to

interesting people who have stories to tell.

‘Toto The Ninja Cat And The Superstar Catastrophe’ by Dermot O’Leary (Hodder

Children’s Books, £6.99) is out on 5 March. Listen to Dermot on Saturdays from 8am on

BBC Radio 2. His podcast ‘People, Just People’ is available at audible.co.uk PHOTOGRAPH: RAY BURMISTON

46 PSYCHOLOGIES MAGAZINE APRIL 2020

shared values