RTÉ 2FM star Carl Mullan has admitted that he’s ‘always struggled’ with his body image as he provided an insight into being a dad. Carl and his wife Aisling, whom he met in primary school, share two children together, two-year-old Daibhí and infant daughter Éala. Appearing on Brendan O’Connor RTÉ Radio One’s show over the weekend, Dublin native Carl revealed he wasn’t ‘fully mentally prepared’ for becoming a father.
‘I don’t think I was fully mentally prepared before becoming a dad for what it would mean. I often talk to people about the mourning of the loss of your old life. That’s probably the biggest thing I’ve had to try and figure out.
‘You realise, oh, it’s gone. It is not coming back, I keep thinking it’s coming back – it’s not,’ he said. While the 2023 Dancing with the Stars winner has ‘always’ struggled with his body image, Carl told Brendan that it has been playing on his mind in recent years.
Carl explained: ‘It is something that I’ve always struggled with. There’s less time for yourself or to go to the gym, I’ve definitely struggled with body image and particularly in the last couple of years. ‘It’s just feeling self-conscious about putting on weight or clothes not fitting as well as you’d like and being out and about and wanting to look good.
But actually, a lot of it now, it’s even more deep-rooted, because I want to be the best version of myself for my kids. ‘I want to be healthy and I want to be there for them. And sometimes, just because it’s so mad, you don’t get to be that best version of yourself the whole time.
’ He added: ‘It’s nearly the fact that I know that just by eating healthy and exercising, I know I can be the best version of myself, creatively, and I can have more energy for my kids. ‘So there’s nearly a guilt around when you’re not eating properly because you’re just running on empty. That you’re going ‘”but now I know I’m not being the best version of myself that I can be”.
‘There’s definitely an element of that public body image, but actually it’s more so rooted in just me and my life at home.’ When it comes to what he thinks is the most important lesson to teach his children, Carl emphasised that his parents taught him about the ‘importance of laughing’ and it ‘was very much celebrated’ in his house..
