The Mansion House, Dublin, Ireland - 19.05.15. Pictures: Cathal Burke / G. McDonnell
Eilish O'Carroll is a firm favourite with fans of Mrs. Brown's Boys with her hilarious portrayal of Winnie McGoogan.
The 67-year-old has been in a relationship with girlfriend Marian O'Sullivan for 15 years after meeting at an LGBT support group back in 2003. She also has two children for her first marriage.
After previously being approached, she signed up for season three of Dancing with the Stars where she is partnered with Ryan McShane.
Dancing with the Stars
Eilish was the first name to be rumoured to be signing up for the hit RTÉ talent show. She was officially revealed as part of the Dancing with the Stars cast, along with Darren Kennedy, during an interview with Ryan Tubridy on Radio One.
It was later revealed that she would be partnered with Ryan McShane who was previously paired with Denise McCormack and Erin McGregor.
She told RSVP Magazine: "They had actually showed interest back in the very first year, but I couldn’t do it because of work commitments and then the same thing happened last year. I happened to be free this year so I’m delighted!"
Swipe across the see all of the pictures below
In pictures: Eilish O'Carroll and her girlfriend Marian O'Sullivan
Mrs. Brown's Boys
She has been a cast member of Mrs. Brown's Boys since it was created by her brother Brendan O'Carroll. She plays the role of Winnie McGoogan who is Agnes Brown's best friend.
The 67-year-old actress also appeared Mrs. Brown's Boys D'Movie in 2014 and chat show All Round to Mrs. Brown's.
"When you’re playing a character, you lose a bit of yourself and you become the character. This is about standing there just as you and that’s a very vulnerable experience – terrifying to be honest. It’s a bit like going on a parachute jump without your parachute and you’re just hoping to God the people below will catch you.
"Not many people have seen me as just myself so it’s terrifying but then it’s also the most exciting thing ever, so there are these two conflicting emotions at the same time. I’m feeling the fear and doing it anyway," she said.
Was she married before?
She got married back in 1971.
Partner Marian O'Sullivan
Eilish has been in a relationship with Marian O'Sullivan for 15 years . Despite being together for so long, she said that she doesn't want to get married again.
The pair met at an LGBT support group back in 2003.
She told The Herald: “I keep getting the texts saying, ‘When am I going to have to buy the hat?’, but we’re far too young to be making that kind of commitment – we’ve only been together nearly 14 years it’s be wrong of us to jump into anything.
“If I was 30 or 40, I’d probably go down the aisle, but at my ripe age I’m of the opinion that I’ve done it all already.”
They now live in Cork together.
What age is Eilish O'Carroll?
The Dublin native was born back in November 1951 meaning that she is 67 years old.
Does she have children?
She is a mother to two sons called Stuart and Lee from her first marriage.
When did she come out as a lesbian?
She started a same sex relationship at the age of 40. She kept the news private for a while before telling her family.
Will Brendan and her sons be coming over to see her?
She told us: "I have a very extended family; my sons want to come over from the UK to see it, my brothers want to come with their wives, my nieces and nephews want to come. My partner wants to come every week, and you don’t know how long you’ll be in for.
"So I’ve managed to get a couple of tickets but I won’t be able to accommodate them all! I’ll have to put them all in a hat and pick out names."
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