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'I'm way too keen with women'
One of the sexiest men on telly, Dermot O'Leary would have us believe
that he's struggled to find a girlfriend in the past. Bur six months into
a relationship, and his career also blossoming, life is sweet, he tells
Charlotte Moore. Photographs by Jason Bell
 Whether
it's something in the apple pie he's eating, or his Irish Catholic upbringing,
29-year-old Dermot O'Leary, arguably the sexiest presenter on telly, is
insistenton confessing to his schoolboy crushes. Failed ones, at that.
'I asked one girl out 158, no, 157 times, and she still said no,' he laughs.
'And then, apparently, when I stopped asking her out, she did want to
go out with me!
'Then came Lindsay Turner,' he continues, 'who got robbed off me after
about a week, and Sarah Thompson - she went out with Matthew Harvey and
I was mortified. And Donna Harrod.' The list, it seems, is endless.
Despite having a reputation as the cool-looking guy who helped us through
our hangovers on T4, Dermot would be the first to admit he's anything
but cool. He offers the carry my bag when we meet and bounds Tiggerishly
around in search of somewhere comfy to chat. 'I'm useless at playing it
cool.' Friendly, flirty and a bit cheeky would be a much better way to
describe Mr O'Leary.
He grew up in Colchester, in Essex, watching Wogan with his Irish-born
mum and dad, determined to make it big in television. After studying politics
and media at Middlesex University, he sent off hundreds of letters, slogged
it out as a TV researcher and went for screen test after screen test until
he was eventually spotted by ex-broom-cupboard telly exec Andi Peters.
'He trained me up and then T4 just sort of came along.'
By sexing up the Channel 4 kids telly slot, Dermot and his co-presenter,
Margarita Taylor, made the show. 'It was exceptionally hands-on,' he says
modestly of his contribution to T4. Big Brother's Little Brother followed,
earning Dermot 1.4 million viewers and the much-heralded title of telly's
Next Big Thing. Not that any of this would ever puff up his ego. As he
aptly puts it: 'One day, you can be sitting next to Pannela Anderson in
LA, and the next you're doing a voiceover in the back of a Transit in
the middle of nowhere. It's a very diverse industry.' Transit vans aside,
we're dying to know whether his pop-studded career has given him a leg-up
with the ladies. Thankfully, after lots of coffee, apple pie and shop
talk, upfront Dermot is happy to elaborate.
 You're
doing a masterclass in presenting a TV festival in Belfast soon. What
sort advice do you give the kids you meet?
The first question
I ask is: 'Who wants to be famous?' There are always about three who put
their hands up, and I say to them: 'Well, you'd better leave now, because
that's not why you should be getting into television.'
Didn't you just want to be famous?
No, I just desperately wanted to work in television. Don't get me wrong,
there is a little bit in all of us that wants to be famous. But, at the
same time, as a presenter you're working on behalf of the audience, to
bring them that bit closer to the pop star, actor or whoever. So you can't
be too showbizzy.
Who did you look to for inspiration when you were starting out?
I was a big fan of Wogan. I met him last year at a Terrence Higgins Trust
do. I had this really shit conversation with him, which you always do
with your idols. I was like [puts on a baby voice], 'I really like you.'
That's all I remember before he made his excuses and moved on.
You're a big fan of Jonathan Ross, too.
Yes. He was, and is, my God among men.
Didn't you have dinner round his house?
Yes. Unbelievable. When I was doing Big Brother's Little Brother, he called
my mobile and went, 'Hi Dermot, you're talking to Ross', and I just said,
'Hello.' Then, he asked if I fancied coming round for dinner. He has the
biggest house in the world. He told I was doing a good job and we ate
bangers and mash, with onions, gravy and baked beans. His wife, Jane,
cooked. It was really cool.
Any other showbizzy perks?
I get some nice invites, to film premieres and gallery openings mostly.
I'm going to theatre to see Art tonight, because the guys from The League
Of Gentlemen sent me tickets. I'm taking my girlfriend, Dee.
Your girlfriend? Tell us more.
No. But I will tell you about an interview I did. It went on for an hour
and the first 55 minutes were about TV and stuff. Then, it was, 'So, these
gay rumours, tell us all about them.' The answer took about 30 seconds,
and then 'Dermot tells the truth about those gay rumours' was all over
the papers!
So, what about those gay rumours?
I've never kissed a man in anger, so... no, I'm not gay. But, well, I
like it. I mean, I don't give two hoots one way or the other - and my
girlfriend knows I'm not gay.
But you don't want to talk about her?
Not particularly.
How did you meet?
We worked for the same TV company. She was doing one show and I was doing
another. We've been together for about six months.
Did you have a lot of girlfriends when you we a younger?
None. I was a late developer. And the minute I did fall in love with a
girl, I was utterly rubbish at it. I was terrible at asking girls out.
If they said, 'No', I'd be devastated.
Were you good-looking as a teenager?
[He contorts his face to an ugly, goofy expression.] Alright, I didn't
have goofy teeth, I was just doing that to show you, but my hair! Yes,
I admit, it was curly. I had this sort of flat-top, which was really greasy
because I always put loads of gunk in it.
 Have
you seen any of your schoolboy crushes lately?
I saw Lindsay Turner. She was great, a good laugh. But the others have
run for the hills.
Have you become more confident with women since your TV career
has taken off?
Well, I guess when lots of people come up to you and tell you you're doing
a good job, it does make you generally more self-assured.
So you've been dumped a few times then?
Oh, yeah. I'm way too keen with women. If I really like someone, I'm hopeless
at playing it cool, Maybe I should be dumped - girls don't like it if
you're too full-on. I was dumped last year and it was horrible, really
awful. I really don't want to talk about that. I'm lucky because now I've
got a girl I didn't think I'd ever meet. After my last break-up, I thought
I'd be on my own for a few years.
Did you enjoy being single?
I would never go out with someone for the sake of it. Yeah, I was really
happy on my own. But I love being with Dee and my family love her, too.
I think you've got to like someone a lot to let them meet your family.
Did the break-up with your ex make you more cautious with your
emotions?
No, it has just made me enjoy myself and my friends a lot more, and I've
resolved not to worry so much. It's a cop-out to judge all women just
because one woman has fucked up. It's like when women say,'All men are
bastards.' That's so fucking lame. Because men are half the world.
 Does
anything apart from women induce self-doubt?
I think the only time I'm prone to introspection or self-doubt is when
I'm working my arse off. But I think it's the same with anything you really
care about.
Do you think you're pretty low maintenance?
I hope that anyone who has worked with me would consider me easy-going.
Do you ever get angry?
Yes, immensely angry, but at myself more than with other people.
Do you argue with Dee?
No, we get on famously.
Are you a flowers-and-chocolates boyfriend?
No, that's way too cliched. But in every single aspect of my life, I'm
a pure romantic.
What makes you a good boyfriend?
I'm eager to please.
Would it cause problems if you had to spend a lot of time interviewing
beautiful actresses?
Not unless she thinks I'm Arthur Shyster.
How do you feel 2002 went for you?
Career-wise, I was a bit worried when I finished T4, but the past twelve
months have been about picking up where T4 left off. But I've hit the
floor running - I've produced two shows, and I'm staggered by the success
of Big Brother's Little Brother.
Do you and Davina McCall (who also worked on Big Brother) still
chat?
We get on like a house on fire. I wouldn't say we hang out all the time,
but when we see each other, we sit down together and have a coffee. She
always gives me great advice.
Do you have any new year resolutions?
No! I can't bear them. But I do want to create the next big live TV show,
like TFI or The Big Breakfast, and be remembered as a TV institution.
Until I get a show that I drive, I can't consider myself a major presenter.
What about getting married?
Oh God, no, not for a while.
Or babies?
I'd rather hack off my hands.
Tell me three words that best describe you.
Introspective, fun-loving and [laughs] carefree. You'll also note the
utter contempt with which I treat the question [laughs again].
Dermot will be one of the presenters of Clothes Show Live (www.clothesshowlive.com)
from 6-11 December at the NEC, Birmingham. For tickets and details, call
0870-902 0555.
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