If we were to pinpoint one of the RTÉ weather girls as having a glamorous past that none of us knew about before, our bets would probably be on the stylish Jean Byrne… but it looks like one of the other Irish weather girls could be snatching the accolade from under Byrne’s nose.
We see the professional side to these ladies every evening as the volume is turned up and we tune in to find out if we’ll need an umbrella the following day, but one of our favourite RTÉ faces has confessed to spending a breezy night in Glendalough… in Mel Gibson’s arms.
Weather forecaster Nuala Carey, the “vivacious blonde presenter” as the Daily Mail describes her, has revealed some surprising facts about her love life.
The 36-year-old has admitted to locking lips (and a bit of tongue) with famous actor Jared Leto and spending a night in the arms of Hollywood Mel Gibson.
Nuala as we know her… advising us on umbrellas and other weather paraphenalia.
“I certainly don’t think I’m really wild but there definitely is a fun side to me that people don’t give me credit for,” Nuala told Surburbia magazine
“It’s because of the job I do, it’s a serious job. I have to be professional, it’s only appropriate.”
The meteorologist told the magazine how her career took an unexpected twist, developing from a passion for acting.
“My life took a different turn than I expected because I was actually offered a place in Trinity College for their drama course,” she said.
“I turned it down so I made the decision to change my direction. I was afraid that I would be limiting myself. You could be the best actress in the world and still not be getting work. I was worried about that.”
The RTÉ weather girl has friends in high places… (Pic: Health News Ireland)
But Nuala still got to dabble a bit in acting… and Mel Gibson.
The Irish woman did work on film sets as an extra for years and was a body double on the film, Braveheart.
“I spent a whole Friday night with Mel Gibson holding me in his arms in the woods in Glendalough and there were paparazzi hiding in the woods,” Nuala said.
Now that’s not something every Irish woman could say truthfully…
“I was covered in fake tan because I was at a Debs the night before and they were trying to wipe me down. Mel was a lovely man but he was a flirt.
“It sounds amazing until I tell you that I was a corpse. You really don’t want to meet Mel Gibson when you’re wearing a long black wig, white make-up all over your face. It wasn’t as glamorous as it sounds but it was amazing to meet someone like him.
“He was a real character, really charismatic and really chatty.”
So, how does Jared come into it?
Nuala’s good friend Love/Hate and Titanic actor Jason Barry introduced her to the global celebrity.
“I ended up in a hotel room with Jared Leto,” Nuala said.
“We didn’t do anything funny but I did have a little kiss with Jared. It was before he was with Cameron Diaz,” she said.
It’s all coming out now… but Nuala places emphasis on the fact that being in the public eye isn’t all fun and games.
“People think you have a great life but sure everybody has problems,” she said.
“When I broke up with my boyfriend after seven years, I still had to go to work with a smile on my face. I couldn’t hide.”
