MULLINGAR student, Paddy Rooney (25), was one of four young men featured on this week’s installment of the TV3 show ‘Doctor in the House’ which follows a team of leading medical experts who closely monitor the lifestyle of a household.
The show, which aired on Monday night of this week, 10 November, followed Paddy, who hails from Walshestown, Mullingar, and three of his housemates; Conor Byrne, Brian Maguire, and Padraig Mohan, at their college accommodation in Athlone as they embarked on an 8 week lifestyle and health programme.
Speaking to Topic this week, Paddy, a digital marketing student, who is now in his third year of study at Athlone Institute of Technology, says he first found out about the show when he spotted an advertisement on the wall whilst waiting for a friend at the doctor’s surgery in the college. Intrigued by the advert seeking students to appear on the show, Paddy went home and mentioned it to his housemates. Soon after, his housemate Conor sent in an application and Paddy admits that he and the boys didn’t think any more about it until one day they were contacted and informed that they had been selected for the TV show and a few weeks later, the cameras appeared outside their front door.
UNDER SCRUTINY
The four students soon found themselves and their lifestyle under scrutiny by leading medical experts, Dr. Niall Moyna, DCU professor in the School of Health and Human Performance, Dr. Nina Byrnes, author of Your Health Matters, and Dr. Sinéad Beirne, Ireland AM’s resident doctor. Looking back on the surreal experience, Paddy says that it was rather strange at first to have a camera crew following him and his housemates around. “It was really strange. People were coming up to us, asking why we had all these cameras following us during the day at college.” Indeed so invasive was the entire process, that Paddy admitted that at times he questioned why he had signed up for the show, particularly when the cameras followed him and his friends on a night out to the pub!
8 WEEK HEALTH PLAN
When the cameras eventually disappeared after that scrutinising week, the real hard work began for the four AIT students who were put on an personalised 8 week health programme designed to change their dining habits, reduce their alcohol intake, and improve their fitness levels. “It was grand for the first few weeks when we had the time to go to the gym and prepare meals but when the assignments started building up and it was coming up to exam time, we just didn’t have the time to go to the gym and it became increasingly harder to stick to the plan,” admitted Paddy.
WATCHING THE SHOW
On Monday night of this week, 10 November, Paddy, Conor, Brian and Padraig were joined by college friends for a viewing of the show. “Monday night was the first time we saw the show. So we were watching it for the first time along with everyone else.” Once the programme was over, Paddy’s phone start hopping from family and friends who had watched the show. “A lot of people have come up to me in college to let me know they saw the show and I have received a lot of texts about it. And of course, some of the calls came from his family, who he says were very supportive about his participation in the show.
Although it wasn’t all that easy at times, sticking to a strict health plan, and having his lifestyle scrutinised so publicly, Paddy says he is really happy that he signed up for the show and availed of the opportunity that came his way, but hinted that he probably won’t be queuing up to take part in another TV show any time soon! Monday night’s installment of ‘Doctor in the House’ is available to view on the TV3 player website at http://www.tv3.ie/3player/show/680/0/0/Doctor-in-the-House.
