Room to Improve presenter Dermot Bannon may be one of the most recognisable faces on Irish television, but he insists fame has never been the goal.
Speaking to EVOKE as the latest season of the hit home renovation show comes to an end, the architect said that while fronting a successful TV series has its perks, it also comes with drawbacks.
Bannon said he enjoys working alongside his wife in their practice, Dermot Bannon Architects, but stressed that she prefers to stay out of the public eye and is “incredibly private and hates being spoken about”, something he has always respected, particularly while raising their three children.
“I’ve been doing this for so long; I have no interest in being a celebrity.
“It is something that goes along with my job, which can be great at times because it can open doors and get you into places.”
While he enjoys chatting to viewers who approach him, Bannon admitted public attention can feel different when he’s out with his family.
“People do come up and chat to you… I don’t mind it, I love it.
“As a family, because nobody knows who they are, people treat me like I am there on my own, but I’m with my family.”
He also revealed that his upbeat on-screen persona can leave him feeling pressure to entertain in social situations.
“You might walk over to a group, and they suddenly go all quiet, so I feel the need to make conversation.”
Bannon was speaking ahead of Sunday’s season 17 finale of Room to Improve, an episode he describes as the toughest project he has filmed in years.
The final sees homeowners Eimear and Adam Fox renovate their north Dublin mid-terrace former corporation house on a very tight budget.
In an effort to cut costs, Adam, a plumber, and his brothers take on much of the work themselves, adding pressure to an already challenging build.
A rare miscalculation by Dermot adds further tension, forcing him to work to regain the couple’s trust.
“It’s a small project. It’s the smallest one we’ve done for a long time…
“It was the hardest project to do this year because I couldn’t extend it. There was no budget there to extend it.
“I was trying to do it all within the footprint of the existing house – that was hard…
“The budget was so tight that Adam ended up having to do the whole lot of it himself… There is a human story to that. But it’s a lovely episode”.
