Radio royalty Gareth O'Callaghan and his wife Paula have had to live out their wedding vows, sticking by each other in sickness and in health, after they each suffered health setbacks over the years.
The DJ came out of retirement and headed back to Classic Hits in 2022, after hanging up his mic four years earlier following a devastating diagnosis of ‘Muscular System Atrophy’ – an incurable neurological disorder that ultimately has a terminal diagnosis.
But after his condition became stable, the DJ was utterly buzzing to get back to his listeners, backed by the love and support of Paula. Now, a few years later, it's Gareth's turn to support his wife after she received a leukemia diagnosis.
The couple have been together for 10 years and despite Paula being a big radio fan, remarkably she didn't recognise one of Ireland's most recognisable voices when they first met! So how did their love story begin?
The night out that changed everything
It was March 2015, and Gareth was feeling very low after the recent death of his good friend and fellow radio legend Tony Fenton.
He was due to attend a Classic Hits listener party in Cork- something he really didn’t want to do, not only because he was feeling down, but also because he felt it was in bad taste. But unfortunately – or fortunately as it happens- he was contractually obliged to attend.
Paula was also trying to get out of a girls’ night out that night. She had no desire to put on her dancing shoes but her friends wouldn’t take no for an answer. But everything changed for the pair very early on in the night.
Gareth approached Paula, who hadn’t a breeze that he was a DJ with Classic Hits, and they began to chat freely. Gareth remembers the moment vividly.
He said: ‘It was ten to nine that night- we started to talk and the rest is history.’
Their relationship started slowly but Gareth says they both realised almost immediately that they were onto something good.
Long-distance love
While Gareth lived and worked in Dublin, Paula was based in Cork. The couple spent three years traveling back and forth between their homes.
Gareth said it was a really difficult time. ‘There was one period where we didn’t see each other for five weeks- it was madness, I don’t know how couples do it.’ he said.
Following his MSA diagnosis and decision to leave radio for the sake of his health, Gareth put his Dublin pad on the market and moved to Cork to be with Paula full-time. It’s a decision he will never regret.
As Gareth tried to process the news of his terminal condition, a psychologist told him park everything for 12 months, do nothing, walk, think, don’t think, rest sleep and to try to find out more about himself.
He recommended that he stay as close to nature as possible- and that’s what Gareth now has on his doorstep. He says his ideal day is walking on a nearby beach or forest walk with his wife, and then home to listen to music and chat in their kitchen.
COVID couldn't ruin their big day
A year after being diagnosed with MSA, Gareth popped the question, and Paula was thrilled to say yes.
The couple tied the knot in a registry office in Cork in October 2020- luckily, 24 hours before pandemic restrictions were bumped up for the second time. They had 50 guests at the reception – which Gareth says was great craic.
He made a speech- but he wasn’t the only one. He said: ‘There were lots of friends from the radio and there were lots of Paula’s friends, so you know, people were just getting up and making these impromptu speeches.
‘Somebody would stand up and tap a glass at a table way down the back and you could see somebody standing up and adjusting themselves just to make a speech- It was just great fun.’
Gareth and Paula had no less than five DJs at their afters, so the music was top class. However, the celebrations ended promptly at 11, which was a strange end to an otherwise wonderful day.
She gets me
For about a year before his diagnosis, Gareth said he was fooling himself about the symptoms. But Paula was the first to suss that something was up.
Ever since they found out he was ill, she has been his rock- but the illness has taken its toll on her too. Just last summer, Paula suffered a breakdown as a result of stress and it resulted in a stay in hospital.
As a result of COVID, Gareth couldn’t visit her. When he returned home from dropping her bags in one evening he said ‘I walked around the house looking at her photos and thinking what do I do; what if something is seriously wrong; what if this is all over now. It was terrifying.’
Gareth and Paula both know their own physical and emotional limitations, and they share a lot of the same interests. Paula is a talented singer and in an effort to keep his voice in tune, Gareth has taken to singing in recent years. The pair have even been known to belt out their own version of Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin’s ‘Separate Lives’.
Car crash
He’s home !!!!!!!!
— Paula O’Callaghan (@PaulaOCal) April 24, 2023
Finally after over 6 weeks my @GarethOCal is home !!! ❤️ Happiness is …. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/bwXV86Z3L8
The couple have had their fair share of bad luck and in March 2023, Gareth, along with his wife Paula and his step-daughter were involved in a horrific car crash, which left him in hospital for six weeks.
The radio presenter suffered a broken back and a ruptured lung among other injuries, and credits his wife with 'saving his life'.
Gareth wrote: 'This is the woman who has saved my life after a car crash that keeps on hurting both of us in every way. But this week has been a very good week. My love and my soulmate.'
Paula's leukemia diagnosis
In September 2025, Paula announced she had been diagnosed with leukemia. She praised her beloved hubby for standing with her in sickness and in health as she faced into her cancer battle.
Paula, wrote: 'I've recently received a diagnosis of leukemia. While it's a lot to process, I'm ready to fight and learn more about this journey. I am so grateful for the love and support of my husband, Gareth, and my family. #LeukemiaWarrior #BeKind.'
They may have a battle ahead but Paula and Gareth are ready to face it together.
