Colette Fitzpatrick is planning a well-deserved break away from news and current affairs after a hectic season in the political sphere.
The broadcaster anchored Virgin Media's coverage of the recent general election here in Ireland as well as the drama stateside as the Americans went to the polls.
She is going to her native Tipperary for a family Christmas with her kids; 14 year old son Milo and daughter Olivia, who is 11.
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Colette told RSVP Live: "I will definitely take a break from politics and news. And I think the politicians themselves will take a break from it."
She and her family will stay in Dublin on Christmas Eve before making the journey to Tipperary the following morning.
Sharing her festive plans, Colette revealed: "I am going down to Tipperary, outsourcing Christmas once again.
"I am going down home to my sister. We are leaving Dublin on Christmas Day and we will be back again a few days later."
Colette loved the buzz of the news and current affairs world over the last few months, especially getting to interview the main party leaders ahead of the general election last month.
Speaking at the gala opening of Beauty and the Beast, a Sammy and Buffy adventure, she said: "It was fantastic. We did three big interviews with the three main party leaders; Simon Harris, Micheál Martin and Mary Lou McDonald.
"It was a chance for the viewers at home to really look under the bonnet because each interview was an hour long.
"I think they gave people a chance to hear and really understand what the policies were. Sometimes debates can be shout-festy. It was a winning formula for us, so I think we will stick with that the next time."
Colette always gets nervous before a big interview, but that goes with the territory as a broadcast journalist and presenter.
The Virgin Media star said: "Of course there is a big pressure on anybody doing an interview like that, particularly when it is live. I try to channel the energy in the right way.
"I also remind myself that the politicians are just as nervous as you might be.
"A lot of preparation goes into that, it is not just me working on it. We have producers, researchers and loads of others helping us."
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