For Debbie Ridgard, interviewing some of the biggest names in entertainment is a dream come true, especially when she remembers that, as a four-year-old, she was already practising for the job by interviewing her Barbie dolls.
The Tramore native has come a long way since her early days in regional radio. After six years working in the Broadcast Centre in Waterford, the home of WLR, Debbie took a leap of faith, moved to London and eventually found herself working as an entertainment reporter for Sky News.
Speaking to WLR’s Maria McCann, Debbie reflected on her journey, her love of broadcasting, keeping her Waterford accent and the surreal experience of interviewing stars she once idolised.
When did you first realise you wanted to be a broadcast journalist?
For Debbie, the desire to become a broadcaster started remarkably young, long before she even knew what the job actually involved.
She recalled playing with Barbies as a child and spending her time pretending to interview people.
“All the game that I used to play was interviewing people, but didn’t realise what it was.”
That childhood dream came full circle when Debbie eventually interviewed Shane Filan from Westlife, the same Shane Filan whose doll had been her only male Barbie-world character growing up.
She told him the story at the end of their interview, and his reaction made the moment even more special.
Shane subsequently invited Debbie and her cousin Shauna Ridgard, a model based in London, to join his family at the Royal Albert Hall that evening.
“I genuinely felt like I was back in my bedroom playing Barbies, being like, ‘Oh, this is what’s come to life.’”
How do you make celebrity interviews different when they’re being asked the same questions all day?
With celebrities often moving from interview to interview to promote a new film or television show, Debbie says the key is to make the conversation feel natural.
Her Waterford roots and unmistakable Irish accent can actually help break the ice.
“Every single interview that I walk into, I’d say eight out of 10 of them begin with, ‘Hi, my name is Debbie from Sky.’ And then they go, ‘Are you Irish?’”
From there, the conversation can become much more relaxed.
Debbie says her natural curiosity also helps.
“I’m naturally a very nosy person.”
Rather than simply asking the standard promotional questions, she finds herself wondering about the person behind the story, why they made a particular decision, what they were thinking or what their experience was like.
Did you always feel comfortable around celebrities?
Debbie says she has never been someone who automatically puts celebrities on a pedestal, but she did have one memorable moment when she came face-to-face with Samuel L. Jackson.
On the red carpet, the actor approached her and, instead of asking the carefully prepared question she had planned, Debbie simply blurted out:
“You’re so cool.”
His response?
“I know.”
A moment she clearly hasn’t forgotten.
Where did your broadcasting journey begin?
Debbie attended Stella Maris in Tramore before studying Spanish and French at WIT.
At that stage, she knew she wanted to talk for a living, she just wasn’t entirely sure how she was going to make it happen.
She was working in retail when she came across a 12-week radio programme run through WLR and WIT.
The shy teenager who didn’t even tell her family she had applied eventually walked through the doors of the station and immediately knew she’d found where she belonged.
“I came in here and just fell in love the very moment I walked in.”
Her first role in radio was with the WLR street team, before she moved into regional radio reporting and presenting.
She eventually became a sports presenter too, despite admitting that sport wasn’t exactly her area of expertise.
“I had no idea about sports. I just like talking to people.”
How did being shy influence your career?
There’s an irony in Debbie’s career choice: she describes herself as shy and now spends her working life talking to strangers, celebrities and huge audiences.
She says she now considers herself more of an introvert, and believes broadcasting can actually appeal to people who aren’t naturally comfortable in large groups.
“If you’re in a room by yourself, talking to yourself, then you start daydreaming.”
For Debbie, the microphone provided a way to communicate without necessarily having to deal with the intimidating feeling of having a room full of people watching her.
Did you ever consider changing your Waterford accent?
When Debbie started out in journalism, there was an expectation that broadcasters should sound a certain way.
But she was determined to hold on to her strong Tramore accent.
“If I want to be myself, I’m never going to lose that because that’s me.”
She believes that accent is part of what makes local radio special, particularly when you’re broadcasting to your own community.
And after moving to the UK, she found that her accent became an asset rather than a problem.
“Not a single person has ever said it to me. They say, ‘Yeah, you have a lovely accent. Go for it.’”
Why did you decide to leave Waterford for London?
After six years working in the broadcast centre, Debbie felt it was time for a new challenge.
Following the pandemic, she decided to take a chance on herself. She applied for ten jobs on LinkedIn, using the site’s quick-apply option, and then promptly forgot about them.
She handed in her notice at a regional radio station she was working with at the time without having another job lined up and decided she would travel for six months.
On her first day of unemployment, she found herself standing outside the Royal Palace in Madrid with a one-way ticket and very few plans.
Then her phone rang.
It was Sky.
“Would you like to come over to London?”
Debbie’s six-month travel adventure suddenly took a very different direction.
Was Sky always looking for you as an entertainment reporter?
Far from it.
Debbie’s first role at Sky was as a social media producer, which meant spending much of her time behind a desk.
But rather than waiting for an opportunity, Debbie went looking for one.
She began sitting in on meetings with the entertainment team, despite not actually being part of the team.
“I just went over to them. I was like, ‘So I just want to join your meetings.’”
Eventually, a podcast producer role became available within the entertainment department.
Debbie took it, spent several months producing the entertainment podcast and then successfully applied for the reporting role.
Her first celebrity interview was a virtual interview with Zoe Saldana.
And she hasn’t looked back since.
Who have you been interviewing lately?
These days, Debbie’s diary is packed with some of the biggest names in film and television.
She recently interviewed Hugh Jackman for The Death of Robin Hood, Ray Winstone and Vinnie Jones for The Gentlemen Season Two, Domhnall Gleeson for The Paper and Andrew Scott and Damian Lewis for Pressure.
With awards season approaching and the London Film Festival on the horizon, the workload is only going to increase.
Debbie says around 200 films have been announced for coverage, meaning plenty more red carpets, screenings and interviews are ahead.
Do you actually have to watch all those films and shows?
Thankfully for Debbie, this is one part of the job she genuinely loves.
“What a dream to say I watch films and talk to people for a living.”
But she admits it can be hard work too.
When preparing for The Gentlemen, she watched all eight episodes, and has even bought herself a treadmill in London to make sure she’s getting her steps in while catching up on films and television.
“At least if I’m watching everything, because I know I’m going to watch it, at least I’ll be doing some steps.”
Would you ever want to be a celebrity yourself?
Despite now spending her working life surrounded by famous faces, Debbie has no desire to swap places with them.
Now, she’s much happier being the person asking the questions.
Having seen the level of security and attention surrounding major stars at premieres, she says she wouldn’t want that life.
“It’s quite scary when you watch what they actually have to go through.”
For Debbie, being behind the microphone, rather than in front of the paparazzi, is exactly where she wants to be.
From Tramore to the biggest names in entertainment
From interviewing dolls in her bedroom to sitting across from Hollywood stars, Debbie Ridgard has come a long way from her early broadcasting days in Waterford.
Her journey has involved plenty of hard work, a willingness to take risks and, perhaps most importantly, the confidence to remain herself along the way.
And for the Tramore woman now interviewing some of the world’s biggest stars for Sky News, that unmistakable Waterford voice is still very much part of the package.
