Anna Geary is 'getting to grips with being back at work full time' after welcoming baby Ronan

As well as fronting Love in the Country, she will be on Ireland Fittest Family this year — and she told how while she missed being on the show, she’s coming back with a “renewed sense of competitiveness”

Love In The Country’s Anna Geary has opened up about the “brilliant” new season — and how audiences will “really connect” with the “rural romantics” this season.

The Cork native hosts the RTE2 show, which returns at 9.35pm on Monday, October 7.

And she told Chic how it is “absolutely brilliant” to be back with a new season — and shared what audiences can expect from this year’s singletons.

Read more: Anna Geary says losing 50 per cent of her immediate family in 18 months was such a shock

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She said, “Last year was the first year, obviously, of the show.

“And you never really know what to expect when it’s a brand new show — even though it’s been successful all over the world, this was its first time in Ireland. You’re just hoping that people will take to it, will love it and connect with it. And they really did.

“The fact that we’re back now this year — it was wonderful to have people sending messages in being like, ‘when is Love In The Country coming back?’

“I’ve got that for such a long time for Ireland’s Fittest Family, which has such a loyal audience — to have people genuinely interested in when it’s coming back was great.

“We’ve six new singletons and I think because we have a series one under our belt, I think production-wise, it’s kind of elevated.

“The series this year, it’s brilliant. It’s great fun. But there’s some really vulnerable moments, as well, in the midst of all the entertainment and the laughs.

“There’s that reality of people finding it really challenging to find love, and you really connect with people.

“People are really honest about the challenge. We have everybody — ages range from a 20-year-old to someone in their mid-70s. And all of them are doing the show for different reasons.

“For some, they find it really hard to talk to the opposite sex and they want to get better at it. Others, it’s because they want to meet somebody, settle down and start a family.

“Somebody else, it’s more around companionship and meeting someone to have events with and being able to go to festivals with or meet for dinner.

“We have our first gay couple, as well, this year. Everything’s kind of happened organically. The age range, people all over the country and, as I said, different sexual preferences.

“I think what it really hammers home for me, at least, is that everyone deserves to find love if they’re looking for; regardless of your age, location or your sexual preference.

“I think it’s great, in that regard, that we’re seeing that. I’m really excited for people to get to know all of our rural romantics, as we call them.”

Anna also opened up about her favourite moment from this season — including one rural romantic that she reckons audiences will really connect with.

She said, “Every time I meet a love hopeful, there’s always something that strikes me about them — whether it’s their personality or something.

“One of our older love hopefuls, he’s hilarious. He’s really honest, and really open about loneliness and how life choices have led to this point — I won’t say what it is, but when you hear it, you’ll know it. It’s so funny, he really caught me off guard when he said it.
“He’s a real character. He’s 70 years plus. And seeing him put himself out there on the show, it just showed me that you’re never too old to look for somebody to spend your time with.

“I think he’ll really connect with a lot of audiences that might feel they’re beyond — ‘oh, sure, I’m too old now for it’. You’re never too old for it.

“I suppose the fact that he’s willing to put himself out there, I think he’ll actually maybe give a little bit of courage to other people to do the same. It was definitely a funny moment for sure, the first time I heard his catchphrase.”

And when it comes to the popularity of dating shows, Anna told how she reckons it comes

Anna told how she reckons the popularity of dating shows is, in part, due to people “finding it harder and harder to meet somebody”.

She said, “I think there is more and more people, now than ever before, that are struggling to find somebody.

“You have to think that the outlets that were once there aren't necessarily there as much anymore — if you think of the dance halls, back in our parents’ time. That’s how my parents met, in a dance hall.

“Or the bustling local pub. It was a lot busier — a lot of publicans would say that now, that their business has been decimated whether it’s because of people leaving villages and moving to towns and cities or moving abroad; and there’s lots of barriers now to having a night out in a local pub, they’re not as busy, nightclubs are shutting down.

“The places that people used to meet aren’t as amenable anymore or in use. We’ve seen the digital age pop up, and we’ve seen a lot of apps coming up with that.”

Anna added that the apps aren’t for everyone — and opened up about what makes Love In The Country stand out.

She continued, “Shows like Love In The Country are important for two reasons. They’re important because genuinely, the show is about matching people up.

“If you want to use the tried-and-tested methods like letter writing, the certain elements of matchmaking that have worked down through the years.

“All over the world, this format has worked. We’ve seen hundreds of couples and hundreds of babies, if not thousands of couples, come out of this show in its format all over the world in the last decade or two.

“I think the show’s important as well because it shows the realities of dating. It shows the wholesomeness of it — the authentic, the awkward moments of being on a date.

“I think people loved watching that last year, even though they sometimes probably watched it through their hands, going, ‘oh my god, I can’t believe stye said that’ or ‘I can’t believe that happened — I can’t watch!’

“But I think that’s why people really loved it. It was real, sometimes raw, messy, funny and awkward — all the things that real life dating is. It’s not perfect.

“Real dating isn’t about aesthetically looking perfect, having the perfect abs, the perfect teeth, the perfect life and having the perfect date — that’s not real life. That’s a very highly-edited show, if you see that happening on telly.

“The reality of dating is really different. I think it’s nice that the show shows the highs and lows of that — the award moments and those sparks, when you see two people clicking and you’re like, ‘oh my gosh, they’ve really got a connection!’

“Personally, as the presenter, I love that because I’m nearly acting like a wingwoman for the people who are searching for someone.

“I really want to see them succeed, whatever that success looks like for them in their pursuit of love — or maybe in their pursuit of finding a companion; or learning to speak to the opposite sex a bit better.

“Whatever they’re looking for, I’m there to help them find it.”

Anna will also be back on Ireland Fittest Family this year — and the author told how while she missed being on the show, she’s coming back with a “renewed sense of competitiveness”.

She said, “It’s very different for me now, even the work life and the juggle of having a one-year-old and trying to manage everything — but I really missed being on the show. I really missed working with the families.

“I came back this year with nearly a new zest for it and a renewed sense of competitiveness. I didn’t think I could get more competitive, but as it turned out, I can and I have. I really missed it.

“I missed working with the crew. There’s an incredible, large crew that works behind the scenes and they do trojan work to make everything look brilliant. It’s only when you’re away from something that you realise how much you missed it.
“For me, it’s such a privilege to be involved in that show. I really get a kick out of it. I came back this year with a vengeance.”

The presenter also opened up about navigating parenthood and returning to work full-time — and told how she loves “the energy that comes from what I do”.

She said, “I’ve been getting to grips with being back at work full time — and obviously, having my little boy as well. He’s more active now, he’s walking and he’s more energetic.

“We have to have eyes in the back of our heads and you have to go from being working all day to full-on mom mode — and that definitely brings challenges, for sure.

“But I love it. I love the energy that comes from what I do.

"Even when I’m busy, it’s not lost on me that I’m incredibly grateful to be doing the job that I’m doing. And I’m really lucky that my husband is such a great support and that we have a support circle around us that allow us to do this.

“I think that sometimes, the world of parenthood and all that can be kind of depicted as a kind of easy peasy, ‘ah, I’ve got it under control, I can do everything’ kind of thing. And I think the reality is very different.

“Sometimes, you get it right and you’re a 7 out of 10 and you’re just on top of things. And then other days, you feel like you’re a -50 because you just don’t know how you can get yourself and everyone else out the door.

“It’s that constant, trying every day to make it work — getting to be back on Ireland’s Fittest Family and doing Love in the Country again and presenting the show — and Supercharged, my own health and wellness show, is back in November, which I’m really excited about.

“I got to fill in during the summer for Ray D’Arcy and cover for him in Radio 1, which I absolutely loved. It was such a brilliant opportunity and honour to keep his seat warm.

“All of those opportunities, it’s not lost on me that I’m really grateful for them.”

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RTE's Anna Geary shares adorable snaps of baby Ronan as he turns six months old

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The author added that it was also important to acknowledge “that it’s bloody hard, as well”.

She continued, “I don’t always get it right, and it’s certainly far from easy at times — and I think that’s just the reality of it. Everyone's busy doing different things.

“It’s just about trying your best to do it as well as you can. Some days, you get it more right than others, I think.”

Anna added that one of her favourite moments of the parenthood journey so far has been her son, Ronan, walking and “starting to say a few words”.

She continued, “He’s almost saying ball and everything now is ‘wow’ — everything to him, when he sees something that he hasn’t seen before, is ‘wow’.

“Watching his personality grow within the last, it’s been brilliant. Now, it’s high octane — it’s very energy-zapping at times, and you’d be wrecked at the end of the day.

“I always find that the term, 'sleep when the baby sleeps’, ‘nap when the baby naps’, it’s the biggest load of BS you’ll ever hear. When the baby is napping, you’re washing bottles, prepping food, cleaning the house, getting yourself food or doing work.

“It’s like, ‘what? How can I do that if you want me to do everything else.’

“I think it’s kind of understanding that, too, and not buying into this perfect world that people can create online.”

Anna added that Ronan is “so wonderful and so curious about the world”.

She continued, “I remember the first time that he realised he could walk and just seeing him realise, ‘the world is now my oyster — I can go places on my own!’ And just the joy on his face.

“But also for us, we need eyes in the back of our heads. If he’s not running somewhere, he’s trying to get up the stairs or trying to climb something. It’s making it more and more interesting.”

Love In The Country returns on Monday, October 7 at 9.35pm on RTE2

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