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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Entertainment
Edel Hughes

TV chef Donal Skehan says he's still 'shell-shocked' from his first year as a parent

TV chef Donal Skehan revealed he and wife Sofie have no immediate plans to expand their family as they're still "shell-shocked" from becoming first-time parents.

And he added a move back to Ireland may be on the cards to have the help of his family with bringing up toddler son Noah.

Dublin native Donal, who now lives in LA, told TV Now magazine: "We're loving just having the three of us and celebrating that time.

"The first year is so manic, just learning to become a parent so I feel we just got through that.

"We would definitely love to have a bigger family though, so you never know."

Commenting on the possibility of returning home to Ireland, he added: "I still feel like we're shell-shocked after the first year of parenting. We're not making any big decisions just yet."

 

"We're definitely out here for another little while, but the biggest thing for me and Sofie is doing it without the support of family and that's definitely challenging.

"There's a lot of work out there that we're doing and it's keeping us busy but the draw home is having family close by and not missing out on things.

"At some point we would love to be back."

One thing Donal is adamant about is that Noah won't grow up speaking with an American accent.

The 32-year-old said: "We want to make sure Noah has the Irish accent growing up. That's my main port of call! If he comes home with an American accent, I think I'll be killed."

 

And Donal admitted being away from his family for work can be tough as he's afraid of missing Noah's milestones.

He said: "It's so hard because Noah's changing every single day. He's at that age where he knows you're gone as well. FaceTime is great, even though it's not the same.

"I'll be home again with them soon and I'm counting down the days."

However, Donal has found a new group of supportive Irish pals in LA, with presenter Brian Dowling pitching in to lend a hand at Noah's birthday party.

 

"Brian and his partner Arthur, I cannot tell you how great they are", he said.

"When Noah's first birthday came around, I never thought I'd see it, but Brian Dowling was mopping the floor. He was cleaning up before all the guests came.

"It's truly an Irish thing that you can lean on people and they'd help you in a heartbeat."

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