Nina Carberry finds it hard to balance her work and family life since taking up her role as an MEP.
But the former Dancing with the Stars champion is proud to represent her country in Europe and praised her husband, Ted Walsh Jr, for holding down the fort at home with their two daughters, Rosie and Hollie.
Since becoming an MEP, Nina flies to Brussels each Monday afternoon and comes home early on Thursday morning, spending time with her family before she returns to the Belgian capital.
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"I've a lot to thank Ted. He's pushed me to do lots of different things in my life," Nina said.
"Even with being an MEP, without his support I wouldn’t have done it. I need that support from home because when I’m away in Europe, he’s looking after our two girls. We had these conversations before I took on the role and he said he was 100 per cent behind me."
"I really look forward to Friday mornings and bringing my little girls to school. I bring them to GAA training afterwards and I get a kick out of watching them play their matches. I live for it every week."
Nina has achieved a lot in her professional career as a jockey, TV personality and now politician. But motherhood is her greatest achievement.
"To me, the girls are little miracles. It's something I always wished for and I'm so grateful for it all the time," she told The Sunday Times.
Nina felt honoured when she was elected as an MEP earlier this year, but was subjected to online trolling during her campaign.
She said: "As a politician, you need to have a presence online to show what you're doing every day in Europe, and I think every politician gets it. You learn how to deal with it."
Her experience as a champion jockey has helped her to become more resilient over the years.
"I had to fight my own corner from an early age in the public eye, in a very male-dominated sport," Nina added. "That definitely helped to build my character."
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