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Brian Dillon

Lucy Kennedy opens up about 'raw' experience of taking over from RTE legend Gerry Ryan after tragic death

Lucy Kennedy opened up about the "raw" experience of taking over from Gerry Ryan at RTE 2FM when he passed away in 2010.

Speaking to Dublin Live along with Classic Hits co-presenter Colm Hayes, the TV and radio presenter described how she felt stepping in for the beloved broadcaster after his passing.

She also revealed the tough time helped her bond with her long-time co-host, who was also at 2FM at the time.

She explained: "When Gerry Ryan, God rest his soul, died, I was working on Podge and Rodge. They needed a male and female together to fill in for a couple of weeks."

"We went on air and sixteen weeks later we were still together.

"We’ve known each other for eleven years and we’re very tight as friends. We had to bond in such sad circumstances.

"Gerry’s chair was still in the studio when we were on air. It was a very raw time."

Ryan's son, actor Rex Ryan, recently opened up about the passing of his father, explaining that he drank 'an obscene amount'.

Rex was in his third year of college when his dad passed away at 51. He said:

"I went on a pilgrimage to Thailand. I needed to get away. Dad died right before my final exams in business school.

“They said, ‘Do you want to defer?’, and I said, ‘No, f*** that’. I did my exams and the next day I flew to south-east Asia and stayed there for a long time.”

He added, "“It was like Apocalypse Now. I had two kickboxing fights and I drank an obscene amount. I meditated with monks. I climbed mountains.

“I went into solitude. And then a lot of my schoolfriends ended up over there. So it was a real journey."

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