Virgin Media presenter Claire Brock tells Andrea Smith about reining in politicians and her busy home life with three small children

For Claire Brock, moving from anchoring the news at Virgin Media TV to presenting The Tonight Show was a challenge initially, because the news role was very straight in terms of maintaining impartiality. She had to work out how far she could go when presenting a late-night current affair show, and was also nervous about how she would be perceived.

“I think it's important to give a bit more of yourself and say what people are thinking,” she tells Woman’s Way.

“We’re covering so many topics that it’s like cramming for the Leaving Cert every day, trying to cover all the changing angles and picking up on every single thing I should look at. I’ve settled down now and have become more comfortable with all of that as I’ve found my stride.”

Claire’s hours are pretty anti-social so she has to make that work for her as well. Presenting a show so late in the evening involves creeping into the house so as not to disturb her three sleeping children.

It also means that she’s still fizzing with adrenaline when she arrives home at midnight. “I thought I would get into a fantastic routine of putting the phone away and unwinding with a book but it's really hard,” she admits. “I’m struggling to get it right and find I’m still pretty wound up going to bed. My youngest child is two and she can be up and down throughout the night, and then I’m up for the school run.” “And then, with my job, I can’t miss a beat in terms of current affairs, so I’m swotting up on what’s going on throughout the day. It’s hard to get the balance right but when I do find some down time, I try to make the most of it. I’m aware that I need to improve my selfcare a bit though.”

Claire begins her working day at home with editorial meetings and research, before going into the studio in the evening - or during the day if she’s going out on the road. She was hosting the show by herself during Ciara Doherty’s maternity leave, but now that Ciara has returned, they split the anchoring duties.

As a result, they are now able to go out of studio to do special interviews and features, which Claire loves as it keeps the content fresh and interesting. “Ciara and I provide each other with a bit of work/life balance in that regard, which is of benefit to both of us,” says Claire. “And it also gives us a chance to get out of the studio and talk to the people who are being impacted by issues and get their stories out there.”

BLACK SHEEP

When the show first aired, it was pretty male-dominated as it was helmed by Vincent Browne, followed by the dual pairing of Ivan Yates and Matt Cooper. In those days, the show could get very heated and arguments and rows abounded, but since Ciara, and latterly Ciara and Claire, took over, the tone of Tonight has become less-confrontational. That isn’t to say that it is any less entertaining or informative, but the more measured approach appeals to those viewers who would prefer to encounter less aggro so near to bedtime.

“I was working in the newsroom before Vincent came on,” says Claire. “I think the show reflected the anger the nation was feeling at the time around the utter chaos of the economy and how the Government was grappling with all of that.”

“It summed up the views of the nation every night and Vincent brought his own flair to it. And following on from that, it was Matt and Ivan doing their thing. They’re all fantastic, charismatic presenters, and I like to think that myself and Ciara also bring personality and our own unique style to the programme.”

Claire is enjoying working with Ciara as they are at similar stages of life, and can really relate to each other around the challenges and rewards of the job and raising young families. “I would say that we’re a good support to each other and we get each other,” she says.

“Ciara is ultra-professional and full of enthusiasm and ideas. She’s a great broadcaster too, so I feel very lucky and privileged to be working alongside her.” Claire grew up in Glenageary and is very close to her family and sees a lot of them. She loves decamping to her parents’ house at weekends.

“I'm still like a child in many ways,” she laughs. “I don't often feel like a grown-up at weekends because there is nothing I enjoy more than when my mum invites us over for a lovely Sunday roast. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

Claire jokes that she is the “black sheep” of the family, as her dad Michael and younger sister Louise are architects, her older brother David is an estate agent and her mum Sarah trained as an interior designer when Claire was a child.

She found seeing her mum balancing family life with having a fulfilling career inspirational.

“It taught me that you could fulfil your ambitions and follow your path in life and not to be afraid to do what you really enjoy,” she says, adding that she is really happy where she is right now and feels her ambitions have been met. Claire loved English and drama and went to study journalism at DCU. She loved the idea of broadcasting and even though she wasn’t sure what she would like to do initially, it all came together in the end.

AMBTIONS

She met her rugby star husband, Trevor Hogan, there as they were in the same class and were part of the same gang.

They got together as a couple in third year, and had a “couple of break-ups and make-ups” along the way, but they ultimately realised that they were in it for the long-haul.

Trevor joined the Munster Academy after graduation and Claire was in TV3 so they were both busy establishing their respective careers.

“We did break up at a couple of points, but when we got back together when I was in my mid-20s, that was it,” says Claire. “Trevor moved up to Dublin to play with Leinster, and once he made Dublin his base, we moved in together.”

Obviously they’re a very attractive couple, but what was it that attracted Claire to Trevor, who has also played for Ireland. “He’s an incredibly loyal person, and is very thoughtful, intelligent and interesting,” she replies.

“He’d actually have much stronger opinions than me on plenty of issues, which makes for some interesting conversations. I always come home to plenty of feedback and it’s great to live with someone who is so engaged with what is going on in the world, as it creates a great spark between us. And I get the style feedback from my mum.”

Claire and Trevor were married in 2013, and they have three children, Pearse (6), Eve (5) and Ruby (2). Pearse and Eve are in senior and junior infants, respectively, and are the best of friends.

“Parenthood for me has coincided with my work ambitions coming to fruition, and it has been really encouraging to me that each time I came back from maternity leave, a really good work opportunity landed,” says Claire. “These busy years of parenthood haven’t held me back, and I’m happy about that as it’s important to maintain your career and not be left behind.”

While she admits that parenting three small children can be exhausting, Claire loves being a mum and gets great fun from her children. She is also acutely aware of how lucky she is and never takes that for granted.

Her children are in bed when she’s on air so they don’t really see her on TV, but Claire and Trevor have an “incredible” childminder Vivi, who minds the children in their home.

“I’m still trying to do things like the school pick-ups, which is important when you're not there for bedtime,” says Claire.

“I feel really lucky to get to see and be with the kids during the day because a lot of people don't have that, but it’s all about finding the balance.”

“I wear my glasses during the day and if I'm going out filming during the day and have my make-up on and contact lenses in, the children think I look really diff erent. My daughter Eve doesn’t like it when I’m not wearing my glasses, because it's probably in her head that I’m going into work mode.”

PARENTING

The show will be off air for August and Claire is looking forward to heading to Donegal. Her brother’s wife Annette is from the county and they spend their summers there, so Claire and her family are joining them for an extended family holiday. “They have three kids too so the cousins will all play together,” says Claire.

“There are stunning beaches there and fabulous walks nearby, so we can get out and explore a bit more.” Claire lives ten minutes away from the mountains in Dublin, and she and Trevor love going for walks with the children in Enniskerry or heading to Sandycove beach.

Trevor was a great rugby player and is now lead player development officer at Leinster, looking after the progression of young players through the system. Pearse is in a local rugby club and loves it, but there is nothing competitive at that age as he’s only six. His parents don’t want him to feel under pressure as his father was so successful at the sport.

“We’re really relaxed and just let them do their own thing, as I think if you put pressure on kids to do something, they're not necessarily going to achieve it,” she says. “If they don't want to do something, we're not going to push them as we'll just let them find their own path.”

While Claire is more organised around the “life laundry” aspect of parenting, Trevor is brilliant around the kids’ activities and is a really hands-on parent. “He’s fantastic and is just like a big kid with them, and I would probably be a little a little stricter, but not overly so,” she says.

“I think for a lot of women, we’re the one’s double-checking appointments and making sure childcare is covered if one of us is away and the other is working late. Trevor and I work really well together as parents, and although we have different approaches, as many couples do, we’re on the same page when it comes to the big things.”

Claire joined what was then TV3 in 2002 on a college placement, and began freelancing as an assistant producer on the news. She went on to do other things such as stints on various radio stations and with UTV Ireland, before returning to the Ballymount station. She also co-presented The Morning Show with Martin King a decade ago, which gave her a taste for presenting.

“It's all about having the confidence to say 'yes’ when opportunities arise,” she says.

“It's a daunting world, and I’m lucky to have had the opportunity to get to where I am, but I've also worked hard at it.”

Claire loved working as a news anchor, but expressed an interest in exploring stories in more depth. So when the opportunity came up to work on Tonight, she was delighted. With an everchanging panel of politicians and public figures, it’s a delicate balancing act between facilitating a good debate and not allowing showboating panellists to dominate the conversations.

“There are occasions when you can just sit back and see a good debate unfolds, and other times when politicians need to be reined in,” Claire agrees.

“I think they are increasingly understanding that the public are fed up and frustrated and they really don't have the appetite for them shouting over each other to get their point across. There's an awful lot going on in the world and we want them to give a little bit of clarity on the show, as that's what we all really need right now.”

The Tonight Show, Virgin Media One, 10pm Monday to Thursday