Ciara Kelly has revealed that her interview with Tommy Fleming, which saw him come out as gay live on air, is the most listened to podcast in the history of the station.
The conversation, which happened on Newstalk’s The Hard Shoulder, has had a huge impact, even leading to one of Ciara’s kids being recognised in a gay nightclub.
The GP-turned-radio presenter opened up about the gravitas of the interview, revealing that she received lot of texts from older gay men who are still in the closet and some who came out in later years, in the aftermath.
Tommy Fleming. Pic: Facebook/ Tommy Fleming Official
The conversation also made waves among younger members of the LGBT+ community, including Ciara’s daughter, who is gay.
Ciara is mum to four kids, Oisín, Ella, Milo and Blaise, who she shares with her husband Eoin. She has long dubbed her brood her ‘favourite people in the world.’
Ciara Kelly with her daughter and son’s girlfriend. Pic: Ciara Kelly/Instagram
The presenter’s daughter was partying at famous Dublin gay nightclub Mother on the Saturday night after the interview had aired.
Ciara told RSVP that the whole club had been talking about Tommy’s emotional revelation.
Ciara Kelly. Pic: Ciara Kelly/Instagram
‘People came up to her and were like, “Are you Ciara Kelly’s daughter?”. She was laughing, saying she never usually gets asked that question,’ the proud mum told the outlet.
‘She was thankful that I covered it. It’s important to remember that it still is an issue for many people.’
Pic: Tommy Fleming/Instagram
Ciara was very conscious that she was dealing with a sensitive subject while conducting the interview. The 55-year-old acknowledged that the situation was also difficult for Tommy’s family and wanted to be mindful of that.
‘I was extremely conscious of the sensitivities of it. Both for Tommy – he has had a terrible time of it, there’s no question – but also for his family.’
Lucy Kennedy with Tommy Fleming, Kate Nash and Tom Read Wilson on Unfiltered with Lucy Kennedy. Pic: Virgin Media Television
‘There’s a lot of hurt in general there. I was conscious of trying to allow him to tell his story and to let that story come out in as sensitive a way as possible.’
Tommy is set to make his first TV appearance since coming out, as he will sit down on Lucy Kennedy’s Unfiltered chat show.