Gráinne Seoige feels the grá after return home to Galway

The former RTÉ presenter said she would not rule out a return to TV as she has met with such a warm response since quitting South Africa last year and returning to her native county of Galway.

“What I have found since I came home is there’s been an avid welcome online with lots of ‘It’s nice to see you’re back.’ Or when I do a bit of TV, I get ‘It’s great to see you face on TV again,’ so it’s really lovely, the amount of positivity that I'm finding online and women supporting each other. It’s absolutely wonderful,” she said.

“It's been lovely because we’re all familiar with the negative side of social media but what I have found is that really open, warm buzz since I’ve come home. So if the right (TV) project came up and it was right for my life, I would absolutely love it.”

She told Independent.ie that when it comes to exploring new TV opportunities, it was important “to stay open in your energy to what might come along.”

“I love TV, it was my first love in terms of work. I have the grá. You don’t have that length of time and learn that much and have it not be of benefit. And it is of benefit to have people who know what they’re doing,” she said.

She is currently immersed in developing her high-end jewellery business, Grace Diamonds, which creates bespoke pieces for customers. And she has noticed a new trend when it comes to online shopping during the pandemic, saying that more people are treating themselves to luxury items.

“I know it’s been incredibly hard for some people but they have been working from home, they haven’t been able to spend their ‘walking around money’ and they’ve decided to save it and put it towards something a little bit more personal and long-lasting. And that’s where we come in and it’s been wonderful,” she said.

“What we’ve seen is a lot of men going, ‘My wife has played an absolute blinder this year, with homeschooling the kids, possibly working from home as well, maybe running a business and being all things to all people and she is a hero.’ I think there’s a new-found respect for what people do to keep the home running.”

She said there’s been a surge in women treating themselves to jewellery as a reward for all their efforts over the past year of the crisis.

“I've always found the Irish mammy in particular will spend money on their kids and himself no bother but would turn over every penny three times before they invested in themselves,” she said.

“And that's now going. They’re saying ‘I deserve this. I have worked really hard, I'm a nurse, I'm on the frontline, I want my new earrings and I’m going to have them.’ They’re investing in themselves as well which is really lovely to see.”

She and husband Leon were prompted to make the return home following the sad passing of his father Gert shortly before their December 2019 wedding.

He urged her to make the move back to Galway so she could be closed to her tight-knit family in Spiddal.

"We’re a very close family and I know that we are lucky to have that. We were raised in a lovely household mom and dad are great fun people. They’re very social people, they brought us to sporting events and taught us about culture from a very early age so we’re very, very bonded.

"It means an awful lot to be home now, I’m very grateful, even though I really miss SA and I don’t know when I’ll be back,” she said.