Gerry Kelly is one of Ireland’s most popular TV presenters.

 

He was installed in the Royal Television Society Hall of Fame in 1998 in recognition of his life long contribution to broadcasting in Ireland. He has also received two prestigious Entertainment and Media Awards (EMAs)

 

and his show KELLY has twice been voted the most entertaining programme in Northern Ireland. Gerry has interviewed hundreds of celebrities and many major political figures over the years. KELLY is now going into its eleventh successful season.

In 1993 Gerry received a Sony Gold Award for his KELLY ON THE RADIO show on Downtown Radio. The award-winning programme followed the Shankhill Road bomb. KELLY has been recognised as the most popular programme of its kind on the entire ITV network.

GERRY’S BACKGROUND

Before becoming a broadcaster, Gerry was a primary school teacher and a lecturer in St Mary’s Teacher Training College, Belfast. His first TV job was as a part time sports reporter.

He moved into TV full-time in 1979 to present UTV’s one hour nightly news/magazine programme with Gloria Hunniford.

 

After Gloria’s departure, he took over GOOD EVENING ULSTER for a short spell before branching out into the social action programme LIFESTYLE. At the end of the 80s, UTV launched a series of outside broadcast roadshows, KELLY ON TOUR and KELLY ON THE ROAD before finally introducing KELLY in 1989.

 

CHARITY WORK

Gerry is heavily involved in community work with young people and works for many charitable and voluntary sector institutions. He was vice-president of Youth Action, Northern Ireland and former President of Youth Net - the umbrella group for voluntary and statutory youth organisations in Northern Ireland.

Gerry is also a member of the Prince’s Youth Business Trust Fund-raising Committee and a council member of Co-operation Ireland.

He is Honourary President of Heartbeat, a charity dealing with congenital heart disease in children and is President of the Lords Taverners, Northern Ireland branch. Gerry is a panel member of the Enniskillen Bursary Awards scheme and after a visit to Belarus with KELLY he now works closely with the Chernobyl charity, Children of the Fallout. He is also patron of the Children’s Hospice Northern Ireland.

HOME LIFE

Gerry lives in the picturesque County Down fishing village of Ardglass. The KELLY show was broadcast from his home on New Year’s Eve for three years. He is married to Helena and has two daughters Sarah (19) - a student in Dublin - and Claire (17).

Gerry is a passionate golfer and used to play off a handicap of 5, but has mellowed to a more leisurely 12. He's played golf all over the world but he says his favourite course is still Ardglass.

 

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