RTE's Ryan Tubridy to self-isolate over Christmas after second Covid scare

Ryan Tubridy is among thousands of Irish people self-isolating over the Christmas period.

The RTE star has been named as a close contact of someone who had tested positive for Covid-19.

He may have to spend Christmas alone away from his family.

The news was announced by Oliver Callan who filled in for the broadcaster on Thursday's RTE Radio One show.

He told listeners: “You weren’t expecting it but neither was I, I can tell yous that.

“It is the last day of school officially on the Tubridy Show and your headmaster or ringmaster Ryan was looking forward to being here to bring yous all towards the Crimbo.

“Only he joins the tens of thousands of unlucky punters out there who have been pinged as close contacts.”

“That means you don’t come to work so I’m here in his stead and it’s very widely common, you may not have Covid but the HSE send you the message.

“They say ‘Someone who you may or may not know, you are a close contact with that person who has tested positive’.

“So Ryan is now a member of that growing, gigantic community who have had their Christmasses upended all of a sudden.”

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This is the second time during the pandemic that the presenter has been forced to stay away from his RTE hosting duties because of Covid.

In March 2020, Callan once again helmed the Ryan Tubridy show for several days while the broadcaster was out with a "persistent cough".

Tubridy was absent for the full week, with RTE saying at the time that he was “staying away” due to his cough and “adhering to best practice.”

He ended up testing positive for coronavirus but did not suffer any severe symptoms as a result of the illness.

Confirming his positive diagnosis last year, he said: "Like so many other people in Ireland, I tested positive but I was in the very fortunate position to have a very unintrusive experience, which I now have come to the end of.

"While I've been at home watching television and listening to the radio, I have been bowled over by the extraordinary work of our front line heroes and their families who continue to make Ireland a healthier and safer place. I look forward to being back to work really soon."

As a result, he also missed that week's Late Late Show which ended up being a historic programme.

Miriam O'Callaghan made history by being the first woman to host the long-running chat show, with viewers praising her for "playing a blinder" during Tubridy's absence.

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