Viewers were left “open-mouthed” by the interview.
Actress Denise Gough left viewers in awe following her “inspirational” interview on ‘The Tommy Tiernan Show’.
The show aired on Saturday evening on RTÉ and was the seventh episode of the latest series in which comedian Tommy Tiernan interviews a mystery guest.
The Tommy Tiernan Show
Season 7 | Episode 7 #TommyTiernanShowColm O'Rourke, Denise Gough, Dr. Vivian Rath, Aisling Ní Cheallaigh and Lux Alma, with MC duties by Fred Cooke
Stream now on @RTEplayer via https://t.co/2I1iDcotpJ pic.twitter.com/Ro3mB9F4mG
— Tommy Tiernan (@Tommedian) February 19, 2023
Gough, who has appeared in shows such as The Bill, Casualty and Holby City, engaged in an extremely emotive and candid interview with Tiernan.
Gough spoke about her troubling upbringing and even her time as homeless. Having run away from home at just 15, the actress made her way to the UK and by 16 was living in London.
“Things got quite dark for me quite young, I was homeless for a little bit, there was a lot that happened”, she told the comedian.
Speaking as to what helped her endure these tough times, Gough said that acting was what “kept me alive”.
“In the dark, when it seemed like to the outside world that she’s a mess, I knew I could do this thing.”
Star of Andor and Under the Banner of Heaven Denise Gough says she knew that acting could be her salvation. #TommyTiernanShow @Tommedian pic.twitter.com/dgaWLFTfOb
— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) February 18, 2023
“Acting, the theatre specifically, I knew I could do this thing”, she said, before adding that “I would always think ‘I’m really good at this thing’…. It kept me with something to go towards”.
Fighting off her tears, the Star Wars actress stated that when reflecting upon her childhood, she now views herself as “an amazing, little creature”.
After the controversy of last week’s episode in which the host was critiqued for his not-so-gentle handling of the topic of eating disorders with social media star Roz Purcell, this week’s episode drew a much kinder response from viewers.
On Twitter, one viewer wrote that “Denise Gough is absolutely unbelievably inspiring & has articulated the impact of abuse in such a beautiful & honest way. Thank you for being a voice for truth”.
Denise Gough is absolutely unbelievably inspiring & has articulated the impact of abuse in such a beautiful & honest way. Thank you for being a voice for truth #tommytiernanshow
— Katriona O'Sullivan (@katrionaos) February 18, 2023
Whilst another watcher of the interview tweeted; “I feel privileged to have listened to Denise Gough speak so powerfully tonight. What an amazing lady she is. A strong, powerful & inspirational lady who deserves all the success in the world”.
I feel privileged to have listened to Denise Gough speak so powerfully tonight. What an amazing lady she is. A strong, powerful & inspirational lady who deserves all the success in the world #TommyTiernanShow
— @Aoifs123 (@Aoifs123) February 18, 2023
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