RTÉ radio presenter Lottie Ryan has spoken about her devastation at her brother leaving Ireland due to cost-of-living concerns.

Lottie talked about her brother Elliott's dilemma on her podcast Jen & Lottie Do… Parenting where she explained why it pains her to see her "favourite" sibling being forced to live elsewhere.

"He's just lovely. He's just a gentleman. He is the most wonderful uncle. He's just a lovely chap.

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"He's got a great stable job and doesn't give my mother any worry. He's got a real job. He's got a pension. All these cool, grown-up things."

Lottie added how Elliott and his girlfriend are opting to go travelling together, but that their situation may lead them to permanently settle abroad due to Ireland being "too expensive".

"Now, Elliott is in the position that so many people in the country are in, he's like, 'Housing is just too expensive.'

"Him and his girlfriend were like, 'Listen, we're going to go travelling for a while and we're probably going to just have to finish up somewhere like Dubai and work and see how it goes'."

(Left to right) Lottie, Elliot, mother Morah, Rex and Babette at the Electric Picnic Festival at Stradbally Estate, Stradbally, Co. Laois. (2016)

This comes after a Central Statistics Office (CSO) report recently stated that over 64,000 people departed the State between April 2022 and April 2023, compared with 56,000 in the same period the year before.

Lottie admits to doing her best to change Elliott's mind about leaving, but to no avail.

"I have tried everything to quash his dreams. It didn't go well.

"He went last weekend and I'm utterly devastated. I bawled. My mum had this little going away thing for him last weekend and when I was leaving and giving him a hug, I couldn't look at him as I walked out the door crying," she added.

"I could hear him going, 'Are you okay?' I just kept walking down the corridor. I couldn't even look back. I was like, 'Yep. No, I'm cool. Love you, bye. See you later.' I just couldn't handle it.

"In the midst of the emotion, I forgot it was his birthday. So it was his birthday, I had no present, I can't even remember if I wished him a happy birthday - don’t think I did."

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