Just two days after RTÉ announced plans to cut a fifth of its workforce, former Late Late Show presenter Ryan Tubridy announced on Thursday that he will be hosting a three-hour mid-morning show on Virgin Radio UK.
He also hinted that he would like to live in the famous enclave of Islington when he relocates to London – but he would pay a premium price for a pad in the highly sought-after district.
He said he has started looking for a home ahead of his big move. ‘I took the Tube to Islington and it felt great,’ he told his new UK audience. Islington has always been a prime location for people looking to live in the affluent London borough.
Over the years, the area – known for its creative and laid-back culture – has been a hugely popular destination for musicians, artists, actors, writers, politicians and revolutionaries.
Celebrities who have lived and worked there include Titanic star Kate Winslet, author George Orwell, composer Lily Allen, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnston and author Oscar Wilde.
But the cost of renting or buying in Islington isn’t cheap. Industry sources said this weekend that Mr Tubridy is likely to earn between €200,000 and €250,000 in his new role… and he will need every penny to stay in Islington.
‘He may be unknown (in the UK), but he’s still a name and he comes with a pedigree,’ a source told the Irish Mail on Sunday. So while he’s not a million-pound signing, he wouldn’t go for less than €200,000. But it’s not about the money for Ryan.
It’s about being wanted, and more importantly, being seen as being wanted.’ A local estate agent told the Minister of State that a basic two-bedroom flat in the area could cost ‘anything between £700,000 (€800,000) to £900,000 (€1.3m)’ and a house ‘probably north of a million. Will be in’. (€1.15m).
And he warned it could be ‘extremely difficult’ to buy in the area due to demand. If Mr Tubridy is looking for a rental property, he can expect to pay more than £2,000 (€2,300) per month to rent a two-bed apartment.
But if he’s looking for a slightly more expensive home, a two-bedroom flat in Islington’s Barron Street in the bustling city center will cost £3,490 (€4,000) a month. He can upgrade to a luxury two-bedder on York Way that comes with a balcony and a 24-hour concierge team for £4,375 (€5,000) a month.
Undoubtedly, he could have eased the financial burden of his residence by renting out his Monkstown Mews in the posh area of south Dublin. He bought a two-bedroom bachelor pad in 2016 for €900,000.
Other two-bedroom properties in the Monkstown area are currently listed on Daft.ie for around €2,800 per month. Mr Tubridy will be pleased to note that similar style homes in the area are listed for sale between €900,000 and €1m.
Despite landing a lucrative radio role in the UK, Mr Tubridy has not yet said whether he will repay RTÉ the €150,000 he received for the controversial Renault deal.
It came as industry sources estimated Mr Tubridy could earn up to €250,000 a year for his new broadcasting deal with Virgin Radio UK.
In July, Mr Tubridy told the Oireachtas media committee that he would repay the money he received before personal appearances for Renault – the former Late Late commercial sponsor – following a controversial deal at the center of the crisis that engulfed RTÉ last summer. Was as part. ,
He told politicians: ‘If that work is not called upon to do, then of course the money goes back out.’ RTÉ director general Kevin Buckhurst told the committee after publicly sacking Mr Tubridy in September that the presenter had not returned the money and he believed it was an ‘ethical matter’ for him to do so.
As Mr Tubridy prepares for his big move, it is not yet clear whether his girlfriend Dr Claire Kambamettu will be joining him in London. Dr. Kambamettu, a psychologist, currently runs clinics in Dublin and Galway.
Additional reporting by Alessia Fiedler.