Gráinne Seoige has hit back at the celebrity candidate moniker attached to her run to the Dáil ahead of the next general election.
The former RTÉ, TG4 and Virgin Media presenter said that the term "celebrity candidate" implies she is "light, fluffy and without substance."
She pointed out that she got a degree in politics before appearing on TV screens and becoming a household name in Ireland.
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Gráinne said: "Look, I think as somebody who went into the media at the age of 21, I've been labelled many things and this is an easy label isn't it?"
She told The Irish Sun: "It doesn't really take account of who I am, what I bring to the table and, not least, my degree in politics.
"A celebrity candidate gives you the idea of something light, fluffy, without substance and without grounding ? everything I'm not."
News that Gráinne was preparing a bid to be a selected as a candidate for the Fíanna Fáil ticket in Galway West first emerged in August, but the mother of one remained quiet on the news at the time. However, her former colleagues in TV and radio were all talking about it.
She said: "I remember watching Ireland AM and my good friends Ray Foley and Muireann O'Connell were chatting about it and they have various political commentators who come in. So they had great fun with the story.
"At that stage, it was a rumour, it really was. It hadn't been confirmed by either the party or myself, so, as far as anybody knew, it was a silly season rumour. They had a lot of fun with it."
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