Former Fair City star Aoibhin Garrihy says “waiting for the phone to ring” was taking a toll on her mental health - and so she walked away from her successful acting career.
The 31-year-old Dancing With The Stars finalist is now happier than ever, relishing her recent move from Dublin to Clare, where her husband, John Burke, runs a hotel.
Having giving birth to her first child, Hanorah, last June, Aoibhin is enjoying a happier, more relaxed life as she expects her second child, who is due in December.
In 2016, Aoibhin married John, who runs his family hotel, the Armada, in Doolin, and made the decision to make Clare home.
Since then, she has been enjoying time with family - her parents are from Clare originally, although they raised Aoibhin and her sisters, Ailbhe and Doireann in Castleknock, Dublin - and now, Hanorah.
She says she has no regrets as acting was taking a serious toll on her mental health.
Aoibhin, who appeared in The Fall alongside Jamie Doran, told the Sunday Independent’s Life magazine: “I was getting so frustrated waiting for the phone to ring.
“I hated the idea of my fate in someone else’s hands. I’m from a family of entrepreneurs and it didn’t sit right with me, the waiting for the phone to ring.”
Aoibhin says she had to be honest with herself and make some changes in her life.
She said: “It was taking a toll on my mental health, and I had to be honest and choose happiness.
“And the minute I made that decision, it felt like a weight off. I was taking ownership of my career.”
Along with enjoying time with her growing family, Aoibhin has co-founded Beo, hosting wellness events for women throughout the country.
She works on the project with her mother, Clare, as well as her sister Doireann and Eoghan McDermott, from 2FM’s Breakfast Show, who host the events.
She said: “I’ve taken on this brand, Beo, and it has given me so much pride and joy.”
