Brian Dowling on Life, Love & Family in Lockdown
Brian Dowling admits that he is drinking more tea than alcohol at the moment…
Most of you will have remembered Brian from Big Brother all those years ago. Hailing from Co. Kildare, he garnered great attention in the Irish media at the time by coming second in the competition and then going on to win ultimate Big Brother in 2010.
Having started his career as an air steward, Brian took to his new life in front of the camera very much in his stride. He married his husband Arthur in 2015, as one of the first gay celebrity couples to get married since same sex couple was legalised in Ireland in 2015.
My DWTS 2019/20 buddy!
Working with my friend Brian on Dancing with the Stars earlier this year was the best fun and I’m delighted that we had each other to laugh and cry with. Brian has a way of turning any potentially stressful situation into having a bit of a laugh!
In this Life in Lockdown series, Brain spoke to me about staying in isolation in Kildare with his family and that although it has been difficult being without Arthur, he is having the best of fun chatting non-stop with his sisters – and drinking lots of tea! He has also surprised himself that he has not been drinking alcohol – at all.
But like most of us, Brian understands that this is simply something that must be done. If we want to live in a society and world that is safe, we need to make this sacrifice now. He appreciates that he is lucky to be healthy and to have his family (and family home) to support him during this time.
Death Becomes Him – Podcast
Brian launched his new podcast in late March – titled ‘Death Become Him,’ in honour and tribute to his late mother. He openly admits, “my amazing mum who I miss every day.”
The basic premise is that he hopes to normalise grief through a series of interviews and discussions with friends and family alike.
The first episode of the series launched back in late March, with the second episode featuring his bestie Pippa O’Connor.
“It’s the most emotional & vulnerable thing I have ever done. I wanted to sit down & have an honest conversation about death & grief. Death is still such a taboo subject & something that should be talked about more. Dealing with grief is tricky as there’s no easy way to do it.”
In one episode he sits down with his hubby @gourounlian in which he discusses the loss of his dad when he was only 16 years old.
Brian says, “I’m doing this in honour of my amazing mum who I miss so much each & every day. Mum would always say there is nothing you can’t fix by sitting down with a cup of tea & having a good old chat.”
Listening to Brian, its testament and touching to hear, and how talking about such a sensitive personal topic can actually be quite therapeutic I have no doubt this podcast will surely help people to heal. Great Job Brian! 🙂
You can catch up on Brian’s Insta here and I can readily recommend his podcast click here
Tune in for my “Life in Lockdown’ vlog series, when I’ll be talking to more friends on their survival & wellbeing techniques! #LifeinLockdown
Sinead Xx
(Header pic: courtesy of VIP Magazine)