Mark Cagney revealed he found Amanda Byram crying on set because all of the presenters suffered exhaustion and depression for the first year of Ireland AM.
The dynamic duo, as well as fellow host Alan Hughes, struggled with the early mornings and they all suffered from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
He told RSVP Live: "I remember walking down the corridor before we were due to go on and seeing Amanda Byram crying by the water cooler and I asked what was wrong and she said: 'I don’t know'.
"Alan Hughes came along and he said he was feeling the same and we were hit with a wave of sadness and tiredness.
"Our bodies were saying that that it wasn’t funny anymore."
Mark used set his alarm for 3am every morning.
So, what time did he need to go to bed at? "Lights out by 10pm", he said.
Things get harder around the winter, especially when the clocks go back, but Mark said that it was the spring forward that kills him.
"Once you lose that hour, it feels like jet lag for about three weeks. People say that you only lose an hour but you are really losing two hours because you are getting up an hour earlier and then you can’t go to bed early that night.
"Your body is saying 'No, no, no' because it is so bright out," explained the Virgin Media star in a previous interview.
Despite the early mornings on Ireland AM and battle with SAD, Mark exercises like crazy to stay fit - and sane.
He explained: "I work three times a week and I do two Pilates sessions. The gym keeps my endorphins up and you also need to be fit to do this job.
"You need some happy hormones to counteract the crazy hours."
