Midday’s Elaine Speaks Out: Women Have A Shelf Life On Television

TV3 Midday presenter Elaine Crowley has admitted she has started to learn how to work the camera, from the other end.

The 35-year-old television host has said she fears for her future in front of the camera, as women have a shelf life on TV.  She said she has started to train behind the scenes so she has something to fall back on in later years.

“I know this isn’t very PC to say and a lot of my female presenter colleagues will hang me for it,” she confessed, “but women have a shelf life on TV.

“There are exceptions but no denying it. Look at any long-running show, you have the young, good-looking female presenter and the old fossil of a man. I don’t like it, but it’s there.

“Take Gay Byrne. He’s past retirement age and he’s still on prime time television. There are no women on screens even remotely that age. So you need to have an aptitude for behind-the-scenes work if you want to continue in this industry.”

In the last year, the Cork woman has taken over producing Midday as well as presenting it with her colleague Collette Fitzpatrick.

She told TV Now; “I was shoved around filling any gaps until I started doing Midday three years ago.

“Then last September the producer left and Collette was up the walls with other stuff and she had this great idea, ‘Elaine, why don’t you produce the show?’. The show sinks or swims on what I say or do.

“When it works well, great, but, if not, you have to take the bad with the good.”

Elaine also admitted to having a meltdown when she turned 30.

“It was so stupid,” she added, “You get it in your head, women in particular, that you should be married and having kids. Thirty panic is not good!”