Triona brings RTÉ cameras home to Schull

BY EMMA CONNOLLY 

OPERATION Transformation camera crews will be in Schull next weekend making sure local celeb Triona McCarthy stays on track with her diet and exercise plan. 

Triona, who is from the coastal village, is one of the leaders in the second series of RTE's Celebrity Operation Transformation which returns to our screens next month. The mum-of-two, who has just celebrated her 44th birthday, will be home from Dublin to judge the Best Dressed competition at the annual Schull Regatta, which takes place on August 12th and 13th and is hoping for lots of community support as she works to ‘upgrade her life'.

The beauty and fashion guru said she had never actually seen the popular series presented by Kathryn Thomas and wasn't sure what she had let herself in for  - but she was sure she didn't want to be ‘headed for 50 and fat.' 

Weighing in at 12 st 6lbs, and at 5'6”, when producers contacted her initially she thought it was to help style the contestants – not to be one herself. 

‘I actually feel I have the opposite of body dysmorphia. I actually always think I look alright. I don't have a huge amount of vanity. I prefer writing about other people's beauty, but for myself I think I need to be more vain. Also, if I see a photo where I look particularly heavy I think “Oh that's just a bad angle”, but then it can get a bit embarrassing if I have to do a photo shoot for something and somebody asks me what size I am and I'll say I think I'm oh maybe a 10 or 12, and the clothes arrive and the dress can't get zipped up or the buttons are all open at the back.'

Triona said her downfalls are cappuccinos, chocolate and general snacking, all major temptations when she is working from home. 

'About 10st is my happy weight, but I just really want to get the scales moving in the right direction,' she said. 

Other celebs taking part are X Factor singer Mary Byrne, chef Gary O'Hanlon, social media influencer James Patrice and singer Kayleigh Cullinan.

See rte.ie/ot for more.