Former Miss Universe Ireland and Dancing With the Stars finalist Grainne Gallanagh has revealed she is going back to nursing to help during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Donegal star said it is the right thing to do.
Gallanagh made the comments during an interview with Jennifer Zamparelli on 2fm.
She said: “I’m home in Donegal now I spent the week in Dublin self-isolating with the lovely Brian Dowling and I came home yesterday.
“So, it’s all a bit strange it’s all a bit quiet after all the madness with Dancing With The Stars.
“It’s very weird to you know to adjust to this pace.”
She went on to speak about how she came to the decision to go back into nursing.
She told Zamparelli: “I’m not that long out of the hospital. I worked in London for a few years and left at the end of last year and moved home and I hadn’t really properly been back since.
“So, my skills are still up to date and I loved it.
“It is really really difficult work, but it wasn’t something that I dreaded going into every day.
“So, when the HSE made the call for anyone to come back I thought it was the right decision for me.
“I have just had so many brilliant opportunities and I feel like it’s my time to give back and say thanks to everyone who supported me in the last while.
“So, I know it’s great for anyone who can go back to do it but you don’t want to be putting too much pressure on people who can’t go back for different reasons.
“I’m excited to go back.”
Gallanagh did admit that would be dangerous to go back to work in the middle of the pandemic – but that there were always dangers when working with ill people.
She said: “I mean there were always risks for me going to work because we had patients who had contagious diseases.
“They were always isolated and there was always protocol.
“I know now it’s different it’s an epidemic, it’s a crisis but there was always a risk for me going into the hospital.
“However, there is always more risks for the patient and what they are going through is going to be more frightening and you have to remember that.”
Written by Michael Kehoe @michaelcalling