Sinead Kennedy became a household name over 22 years ago after landing her first presenting gig on Saturday morning kids TV.
Sattitude was only a stepping stone for the ambitious and talented Cork girl who went on to host multiple shows like Winning Streak, The Big Money Show and currently Today, but she also made some hard-hitting documentaries including the award-winning Laura Brennan: This Is Me.
Sinead was our cover star for the December issue of RSVP, and she opened up about her plans for Christmas now she has two small children - her daughter Indie and baby Theo.
Read more: Sinead Kennedy loves life in Brussels with husband and kids, and she wouldn’t be averse to living there
Read more: Sinead Kennedy on balancing life between Ireland and Belgium - and arrival of baby Theo
"We are going to go home to Brussels before Christmas to get a few days at the Christmas markets. My in-laws will be there so it will be a lovely family time. For actual Christmas Day and week, we will be in Ireland between Cork and Dublin. We used to split our time, so we would spend the morning together and then head to our families, but it is different when you have kids.
"My sister Aisling also got married a few weeks ago which has added to the chaos. I was the only bridesmaid, so there was fierce excitement. We had the most incredible time and she was sensational. I think this Christmas, it will be nice to chill together as a family and chat about the wedding as she is only back from her honeymoon so we all need to decompress and re-live it."
Sinead also explained why she and Conor chose to keep their kids off social media. "Conor is so chilled and while we talk about everything, this was not something we discussed prior to having kids, it is just the way it is. Before I was pregnant, I finished a documentary about online child sexual abuse, so I had my mind long made up before I had the kids.
"It just wasn’t for me, it was very obvious that I was never going to share them anywhere. I think their image and privacy is theirs. I want to safeguard that, and that’s my job. If they want to be all over social media when they’re of age, that’s completely within their right, and that’s their call. But as their parents, this is the decision we have made for them. I don’t even share them in WhatsApp groups – once it is out there, it is out of your control."
When asked is she is a worrier, Sinead says she doesn't think she has the capacity to worry about the small things anymore.
"I used to always say to myself, ‘Don’t sweat the small stuff’. But in reality, I probably was sweating the small stuff, whereas now I don’t at all. While I was never negative, my outlook is positive at the moment.
"I’m just in the best place I’ve ever been since the moment I became a mum, and I do feel like it was absolutely meant for me, even if I didn’t know it prior to having Indie. It’s my best job, I love it, it has been the absolute making of me. I’m just enjoying it and I’m more present than I’ve ever been."
Photography: Egle Laukyte, IG: @white_cat_studio
Hair: Pamela Morrissey, Sobe Brown, Cork
Make-up: Andrea Murphy, IG: @makeup_by_andrea_murphy
Styling: Fiona Lemasney, Brown Thomas, Cork
Location: Hayfield Manor, hayfieldmanor.ie
Read the full interview with Sinead Kennedy at the see all of the fabulous pictures in the December issue of RSVP Magazine - on shelves now
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