Throw Jacqui Hurley in the hot seat with any sport, and she delivers with precision and skill, but back when she was in the early days of her career, the star had a major slip-up that she thought was going to jeopardise her career.
Over the years, the presenter has been very open about her career and her personal life, allowing a stronger connection to form between the Cork broadcaster and the public.
Flying the flag high for women in sport, becoming the first female to present Sunday Sport at 25, she has been a huge influence on other women dipping their toes in the world of sports media.
Before RTÉ came knocking, Jacqui was given the chance to present a four-hour live radio programme and admits, ‘I hadn’t a clue what I was doing,’ revealing to the Irish Independent that she made a big mistake.
‘I said ‘sh*t on he radio once. I started Sunday Sport in 2009, and I was the first ever woman to present the show. I was actually more worried at the time that I was the youngest ever presenter because I was only 25…In the first three weeks, we were pre-recording the opener,’ when the expletive came out.
After apologising, she said, ‘We got an email from a guy saying he was in the car with young children and that he was horrified. I remember at the time thinking, ‘Oh Jesus, they’ll never put another woman on the radio,’ because this is going to be a gender thing. They are going to be like ‘Those women, they can’t keep their mouths closed.’
Jacqui was called in by her boss for the mistake, fully believing that this action could have cost her everything.
After a long chat, she knew that when it came to on-air, be it TV or radio, there is always a chance that your mic is still on and that this is something to remember.
Pic. Pic: Tom Honan
Working through it and learning from her mistakes, Jacqui has gone on to interview some major sports stars, Kellie Harrington being one of her favourites.
Over time, she has given women confidence in the world of sport that has always been predominantly male-driven.
