Jennifer Zamparelli: "You're 100% replaceable in any gig in this industry"

Amid the glitter and the bronzer of the Dancing With The Stars finale, co-host Jennifer Zamparelli talks to Claire O'Mahony about life balance, imposter syndrome, and the importance of well-being.

After some seriously close dance-offs, lots of slick performances and a few dud moves from contestants and surprise audience appearances (Hello, Strictly’s Tess Daly) the finale of Dancing With The Stars rolls around this week.

"It’s crazy," says co-host Jennifer Zamparelli. "It seems to be such a slog at the beginning, but then it just whizzes by and you blink and it’s nearly over."

She has co-presented the show since 2019, initially alongside Westlife’s Nicky Byrne before current co-host Doireann Garrihy stepped into Byrne’s shoes. "Each season, there’s a freshness to the contest because you have a new batch of celebrities and they’re all completely different. It brings that new energy every single season," Jennifer says.

This year’s series has also been unlike others for her as it’s the first DWTS she’s done since leaving 2FM in May of last year.

"I’m more rested because I’m not on air five days a week and that has been nice," she says. "It’s great to be able to have the headspace to really enjoy DWTS and have time to process what’s going on. Before, it was like being on this mad treadmill trying to get everything done with kids and home life and friends and work and radio… It tends to become a bit of a blur. So I’m really enjoying the moment."

She departed her daily morning radio show after 10 years behind the mic. "I miss it terribly," she says. "I suppose I’ve had a lot of time now to do with I needed to do with the family and have a bit of a break, but I miss being on air and I miss my team. I miss the on-air craic; I miss speaking to listeners, and I miss the liveness. I suppose that’s probably why I’m also really enjoying Dancing With The Stars, because I love doing live telly.

"Would I go back to 2FM? I don’t believe in going backwards and I don’t think it would be the right move if I’m honest. Would there be another opportunity down the line somewhere else or with something else? Maybe."

Quitting the show has allowed her to spend more time with her husband Lau, and her children, Florence, who turns 10 this month, and Enzo, who is 7 years old.

"I have two small kids, and I’ve sacrificed a lot over the years, family-wise, for my career. I just needed a break from that, and they needed me. Lau was getting so busy with work and it was either my children were going to have no parents or one of us. For the last 10 years, he’s really taken the reins of being at home. But look, it was definitely the right decision. I don’t have any regrets."

People tell her that personality-wise, Enzo is more like her. "He’s a bit more cheeky," she says.

She admits to feeling slightly apprehensive as her daughter enters her pre-teen years. "Florence is very easy and she’s a good kid. She’s not asking for a phone but I’m terrified of social media for kids who are too young so she won’t be getting a phone for a couple of years.

"There have been moments where she’s been in situations where other people have them and she’s had to be pulled away from it or she gets uncomfortable because she knows she’s not allowed on social media, so we’re just trying to navigate all that. It’s scary going into the pre-teen era. You just get the hang of the various stages and then it changes completely. But I think being around them now and always being there for the little chats before they go to bed and in the morning is very important."

The 44-year-old, originally from Baldoyle, Dublin, first made her name appearing in the UK reality show, The Apprentice, in 2008. She hasn’t kept up with the show in the intervening years. "I can’t even listen to the music, I get triggered by it," she says. "Me and Alan Sugar didn’t get on great, but that’s okay."

Upon her return to Ireland, some of her notable TV jobs have included Fáilte Towers and Republic of Telly, as well as the sitcom, Bridget & Eamon.

Despite her successes, she says that she has imposter syndrome. "I’ll be standing at the top of the stairs before I go live and I’m like, 'what am I actually doing?’ or ‘can I do this, can I get through this show?’. The nerves will get hold of you for a second but then you have no choice but to take that step forward and you just do it, and then it all seems to work out in the end."

She continues: "I don’t think I’ll ever feel 100% comfortable, but that probably is a nice thing because you always want to improve. I’ve worked with people who don’t have imposter syndrome, and they’re a pain in the arse. You’re 100% replaceable in any gig in this industry."

When put to her that, ostensibly, she always appears confident, she says: "Yeah, I’m very good at doing that, aren’t I? You never know if you’re going to be hired again for the next round or the next show or the next series. That phone call comes very late and there’s always a part of you that goes, oh, maybe they want to move on. That day might come sooner than I would hope. You just don’t know. I really hope it doesn’t.

"You’re always working on your confidence. You’re always working on that element of it because anything can happen on a live show. Something small can throw you. It could be anything – it could be your child falling before a show and a phone call from the sitter or from your husband saying that they’ve smashed their face off the floor."

Outside of her Dancing With The Stars gig, she is co-owner of HairPeople Salon, an award-winning high-end hairdressing business. She’s also due to start filming in the next couple of weeks, something she describes as a passion project.

"It’s very exciting for me, and hopefully I’ll be able to talk about it when it’s all wrapped up and it looks good. If it doesn’t look good, I won’t be telling anybody about it."

She is the new ambassador for Coolmine Therapeutic Community, a rehabilitation centre for people with addiction. "I was in one of their houses, Ashleigh House, late last year and I was blown away by these women’s stories.

"This is one of their female centres and one of the only places in Ireland where these women can take their kids, and the kids go to crèche while their mothers have their therapy sessions and do the programme."

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As part of her ambassadorship, she is set to run the Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon in June to raise awareness and funds for Coolmine. "Addiction, as we know, affects a lot of us, no matter what the substance is," she observes. "I think it’s an important conversation to have, and I think it’s important for people to know that there is help, and it’s a phone call away. The fact that these places exist is worth shouting from the rooftops. I’m very happy to get involved with them this year – not so happy about going running at 10am though!"

But in truth, she says her marathon training is going fine. "It’s just a case of putting on the runners and getting out the door, isn’t it? I’ll enjoy it more when the weather gets better. We’ll just see how it goes but I think I’ll be chatting more on this run than bombing along."

Exercise plays an important role in her life for both her physical and mental well-being. "I’m very keen to work out as much as I can," she says. "I do a lot of resistance and weight training, probably twice or three times a week. Now, I’m doing cardio and the running in between. I really feel it when I don’t do it, which is probably a good thing. I know I’m in a place now that I have to work out to make sure everything is ticking along."

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She also makes sure to carve out time with her friends. "I’m very good at booking the girls’ trip and going away when I need to. Lau will have his time with his friends and he normally goes on a bike trip at the start of the year and I’ll go off with the girls in early summer," she says. "That does me the world of good. I love my children but it’s nice to get away from them every now and then, just be away and have nobody ask for anything from you. That time is very precious."

Entering her 40s has allowed her to feel more relaxed, and she’s enjoying this decade far more than she did her 30s. "I was more self-conscious in my 30s; self-conscious about how I looked and what other people thought about how I looked. I’m probably more comfortable in my own skin now," she says.

"When I was in my 30s, I would nearly be afraid to say my age because you’re always chasing something and ‘I should be doing this, I should be doing that.’, and ‘God, am I too old? I should have done this years ago’. But you care less in your 40s. There’s less of looking at other people, and there’s more just focusing on the lane you’re in. It’s a breath of fresh air."