Love/Hate star shares funny response to rumours of hit show's return

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The actor made the comments while on the press tour for his new RTÉ series.

Irish star Tom Vaughan-Lawlor is returning to screens in his first lead role in an RTÉ series since playing the infamous gangster Nidge in Love/Hate.

The new show is called These Sacred Vows and premieres Sunday night (1 February). It sees the actor play an Irish priest whose life starts to fall apart after he agrees to travel to Spain to officiate a wedding as a favour to an old friend (Jason O'Mara).

Ahead of the series' release, JOE attended a press roundtable with Tom Vaughan-Lawlor and his co-star Adam John Richardson.

During the conversation, Vaughan-Lawlor was asked about the 10-year-gap between playing Nidge and leading another RTÉ drama and whether this was intentional.

In response, the actor said, laughing:

"I think it's just opportunity and circumstance rather than anything preplanned. I wasn't going: 'I'm not going to work for RTE for 10 years.' It just happened.
"I suppose the thing about it is as well is that you don't want people to get sick of you.
"I remember [someone made] one time… four images. They were cartoons. It was me in Love/Hate. Then there was me as Nidge reading the news. Then it was me as Nidge doing home improvements. Then it was me as Nidge doing, I don't know, The Toy Show.
"But I think I was on the front cover of The Irish Times like twice in one week, and I was a bit like: 'Maybe it's time to give the Irish people a break!'"

Vaughan-Lawlor was then asked if he was having "nightmares" last year over the rumours of Love/Hate's return.

These were sparked by one of the crime drama's other stars, John Connors, stating that the show was coming back and that the character of Nidge was, in fact, still alive - something the show's creator, Stuart Carolan, later denied.

Tom Vaughan-Lawlor in These Sacred Vows

At the press roundtable, Vaughan-Lawlor said of the rumours: "If you're fortunate enough to be able to have variety in your career, that's the dream. [Love/Hate] was an amazing time, an amazing experience, but you hope to move on as much as you can."

He then added, laughing:

"But the actor's life is like: 'Who knows? Maybe I'll be in a panto in a few years time, a Love/Hate panto,' you know?
"They're like: 'He told us he'd never come back. I'm like: 'I'm broke. I need the money.'"

Check out JOE's review of the first episode of These Sacred Vows right here.

These Sacred Vows starts Sunday 1 February at 9.30pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player. The first two episodes will drop on RTÉ Player on Sunday night.

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