Chat show legend Graham Norton had some pearls of wisdom about life for the teenagers at his old school in Cork.
The BBC stalwart was returning to Bandon Grammar School to help promote a book written about the school, by the school Principal Ian Coombes.
As one of the most famous sons or daughters to graduate there, Norton was happy to use his profile to add to the excitement of the launch of ‘Bandon Grammar School – A History’.
He also stayed to pose for pictures with the staff and students at the school.
The 56-year-old spoke to the kids at Bandon about the experiences he has had in life and tried to offer them advice for their own futures.
Norton said: “As a teenager, life is so serious. Everything matters so much.
“If there is any perk to getting older – and there aren’t many – one of them is that those serious things still happen to you when you’re older, you can still be humiliated, have your heart broken, be embarrassed, but when you’re older, at least you know you are going to get over it.
“People are going to forget. And if I could go back and talk to the boy I was, running around in a uniform that was always either too small or too big, never quite right, I would tell him to worry less. Don’t worry about things so much.”
The Corkman will now turn his attention to the hosting duties at next year’s Baftas after it was announced he will take over the reins following Joanna Lumley’s two-year stint.
A senior source at the Baftas said: “Bosses decided to get rid of Joanna as they were not massively keen on her hosting style and decided two years was enough.
“They wanted someone with a safe pair of hands — and there is no one safer than Graham.
“He did a sterling job with the TV awards and went down brilliantly with viewers.”
Norton is delighted to have been handed the role and said: “I’m delighted to be taking the helm of the biggest night in British film. The audience at the Royal Albert Hall will be the biggest sofa I’ve ever faced.
“I’m honoured to be following in the fabulous footsteps of Stephen Fry and Joanna Lumley.”
