Tommy Bowe certainly has a packed schedule these days but the Monaghan man makes sure he has plenty of time for his wife Lucy and their two children.
Life for the former rugby star wasn't always lights, camera, action. When it came to love, his wife Lucy Whitehouse, a former Miss Wales, made him 'work very hard' to secure a date when they met in Cardiff all those years ago.
As the family enjoys a bit of downtime and a holiday over the Easter break, here's the story of how they met...
How they met
Speaking to EVOKE in the past, Tommy said: 'We met through a mutual friend. So Lucy is obviously from Wales, lives just outside Cardiff, and I was living in Swansea and moving to Cardiff.
'I didn't really know many people up there, so I asked him if he knew any people he might introduce me and he said he knew a nice girl who, to be fair, made me work very hard to meet her.'
'She kept me hanging for a good six to eight months before we actually got to meet up,' Tommy laughed.
'When we did meet up it was great,' he enthused about their first date, for which they 'went for a bit of food in Cardiff'.
Getting married
The couple married in 2015 in Wales with Lucy looking stunning in a white dress with a sweetheart neckline and a full satin skirt.
'We got married just before the last World Cup,' Tommy recalled. 'On the last World Cup, we got married in Wales, came home from our honeymoon and] landed into Belfast on a Sunday afternoon, and I had to be in Carton House for Ireland's preseason for the World Cup on Sunday evening. That was me pretty much gone off and on for sixteen weeks so welcome to married life.'
Growing their family
Tommy and Lucy are parents to their two children - their daughter Emma, seven, and son Jamie, four.
Speaking about his children in the past, Tommy said: 'It is life-changing and it is mad but it's fun and enjoyable.'
The couple has also come up with a genius simple solution for the 'massive juggle' of family life.
Tommy is also embracing his commute to work in Dublin from his family's home in Belfast, saying that being away in the very early hours means he can be home for the school pickup.
Secret to success
As their 10th wedding anniversary looms, Tommy revealed that there is one very simple thing that has kept his bond with Lucy so strong over the years- respect.
He told RSVP that he believes 'that is the most important thing' and that he knows Lucy's job is much tougher than his.
'Lucy respects that I’m up and gone every morning, and I fully respect her, she’s a nurse and she’s at home with the kids. She’s got a much more difficult job than I have,' Tommy said.
Life after rugby
Ireland AM gig
In 2018, it was time for Tommy to hang up his rugby boots but little did he know that just around the corner would be a job that would be very different but would still give him the same 'high' that rugby had done for so many years.
In 2020, Tommy would find himself setting his alarm clock very early to make his way down to Dublin to present Ireland AM.
Over the years he has certainly faced different challenges such as dressing as a granny, trying to teach Alan how to play rugby, and saying the infamous line 'Ten Siblings....' we will just leave that there.
Business ventures
In 2023, Tommy celebrated a decade of his clothing line XVKings and shoes by Lloyd & Pryce and marked the occasion style with a star-studded bash at House Dublin.
Tommy also launched a cosmetics line called Flow in 2024, which was two years in the making and he hopes will make great presents for Irish men.
'There has been a huge amount of research put into it, then lots of going back and forward with factories and laboratories to get the smells and textures just right,' he told Irish Country Magazine.
Podcast
As if his schedule wasn't packed enough, Tommy also co-hosts podcast The Offload with fellow former rugby player Donncha O’Callaghan.
The lads discuss what's happening in the world of rugby, reminisce on their own time playing, and also chat about real issues like why do apples have stickers on them? - the question we're all asking.
The Offload has been so successful that Tommy and Donncha are hosting a live show at the 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin on Wednesday 5 March 2025. We're sure it'll be a great laugh!
