RTE architect Roisin Murphy admitted she struggled financially and feared the TV industry would forget about her when she gave up work to raise her family.
However, back with a new series of Home Rescue, a show aiming to make chaotic homes liveable again, she said she wants to show people how to be stylish on a small budget.
Opening up about her return to TV, after a decade away, she told RTE Guide: “I love it. I came back specifically for this programme. I had small kids and I couldn’t wander around the country, so unfortunately, I had to give it up.
“But I didn’t necessarily want to do the same thing as before so what I like about this programme is that you’re bringing design on a very small level into people’s houses and it’s accessible.”
She added: “When I had to give up work, I really struggled financially and I found it hard to make my way back.
“I wanted to do a show like this that helped people as opposed to a straightforward design show, because I’m also aware of the problem of housing in this country.
“With this, you’re showing people that you can be as innovative and stylish on smaller budgets as you can be on massive budgets.
“I wanted to show that because it’s how I live.”
Roisin is no stranger to Irish households, spending her early career on RTE shows like Beyond the Hall Door and House Hunters.
But after taking a career break while her three children were young, she admitted she was worried about her future on the small screen.
She said: “I did worry but at one point I didn’t want to be on the telly anymore and I made that decision.
“And I think it must have been middle age or something, but I just didn’t care anymore.
“And I did think if I got a chance to work on telly again, I wanted to do something that made a change.”
Recalling the time away from TV, which saw her enter a new career path and become a bona fide artist, she added: “Well, I had changed my career entirely to focus on just art and then I went back to college to specialise in sculpture and ceramics.
“I went back at an older age and that was difficult, I found it a little bit undignified, to be honest, because you’re going back to knowing nothing and competing with people who are much younger than you.
“But it was good for me because it pushed me.”
