Ex-RTE star Ryan Tubridy has appeared to confirm a UK move after he joked about bringing a “bag of cans” to anyone looking for a housemate.
The father-of-two joined a host of celebs at the Irish Post Awards on Thursday night in the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
Tubridy had to present an award to Nadine Coyle for her outstanding contribution to music – but the presenter joked that it was “nice to be back” as he arrived on stage.
Speaking on stage to host Eamonn Holmes, Ryan said: “What a pleasure it is to be here this evening. It has been a while since I’ve been in front of a microphone, but it is nice to be back.”
READ MORE: Ryan Tubridy's former radio slot gained thousands of listeners since host was axed from RTE
Eamonn asked if we were “going to see more of you over here” to the former Late Late Show host but Ryan dodged the question by saying: “Say that again?” “Say that again?”
But Ryan added: “Put it this way, if anyone needs a housemate, I’ll bring a bag of cans.”
Eamonn quipped: “You’ll be very welcome; we’ll look after you.”
Looking dapper on stage in his black tuxedo, Ryan continued to present the award to Girls Aloud singer Nadine, saying: “It’s great to be here and lovely see you always and as we know the beautiful power of art as Imelda was saying there, wonderful Finbar Furey, art in itself is a power that makes us musical and artistic diplomats around the world so the winner of this award is part of the younger generation of musical diplomats flying the flag. She’s wonderful.”
Nadine is set to be reuniting with her Girls Aloud bandmates as they embark on a new tour.
But the Derry singer declined to open up about the reunion after Eamonn asked her where she is now with her music career.
She said: “You will find me at the Grosvenor. I’ve been sitting looking at a drink all night.
"After this, I'm going to be 'cheers-ing' with all my family and friends who came here,” she said.
“Thank you so much to everyone at the Irish Post for giving me this award and letting me have this moment with all of you.
“I am thrilled and honoured to receive this.”
And she joked that “being Irish did make me better, that is the truth” when accepting her prestigious accolade.
The Irish Post awards, which was also presented by Lisa McHugh, is held every year and celebrates the achievements of Irish diaspora in the UK.
Imelda May, Neil Jordan, Jeremy Irons, Kiera Dignam and Una Healy were among the Irish stars who attended the event.
Una looked sensational on the red carpet as she showed off her figure in a daring black PVC floor length gown.
The Tipperary singer finished her look off with a half up, half down hairstyle.
Nadine looked sensational in an orange wrap dress, while Imelda opted for a black maxi dress with her hair up for the big night out.
The awards also celebrated Finbar Furey, who was presented with The Lifetime Achievement in Music Award.
Presented by fellow star Imelda May, Furey entertained the crowd with anecdotes of his early days playing music in London’s Camden Town.
He told the room that he was in awe of the generation of Irish people who had come before him and blazed a trail for the community that exists in Britain today.
“If it wasn’t for them, none of us would be here today,” he added.
The star delighted the 1,100 audience further when he gave a surprise rendition of The Galway Shawl, with Imelda also joining in on the rendition.
Seven awards in total were handed out on the night.
The Outstanding Achievement in Sport award was the first to be handed out.
It went to the Irish Senior Women’s Football Team, in honour of the “enormous strides they have made in the last few years”.
Former Arsenal Vice-Chairman David Dein – who was one of the founders of the Premier League – was on hand to present the award.
Delighted footballers Grace Moloney and Ruesha Littlejohn collected the gong on behalf of the team.
The Inspiration in the Community Award went to William ‘Billy’ McAllister,
The Belfast native, who went blind overnight in 2009, fought against all the odds to become one of the world’s greatest blind golfers.
His award was presented by the actor Tamer Hassan – who starred in the films such as The Football Factory and Batman Begins, and featured in the epic HBO series Game of Thrones.
Gallagher Group were announced as the winners of the Building Britain Award 2023, with company founder and Chairman Pat Gallagher and his daughter, Lyndsey Gallagher, who is Chief Operating Officer at the firm, taking to the stage to collect it.
There was a standing ovation when Oscar-winner Jeremy Irons collected the Outstanding Contribution to Film & Television award.
Collecting his award, which was presented by the Irish Ambassador to the UK, Martin Fraser, he thanked the Irish Post “for the honour of being here with you” after revealing he had traced his own family roots to Skibbereen in Co. Cork.
Remarking on the huge audience in attendance for the Awards evening - many representing Irish firms leading the construction industry in Britain - Irons, who has spent years renovating an historic Irish castle, joked: “Why is it when you need a builder you can never find one, and then you have a night like this, with a room full of them.”
Similarly iconic in the film industry is the winner of the Irish Post Lifetime Achievement Award 2023, Neil Jordan.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker, who has etched his name in the annals of film history as a director, screenwriter and producer, was presented with his award by Cavan-based writer Pat McCabe.
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