Radio presenter and Dancing with the Stars champion Lottie Ryan will be enjoying a novel Christmas this year, with a new addition to her own family. Boo is a Yorkshire terrier puppy that she and her husband Fabio Aprile welcomed into their lives earlier in the year.
“We’d been talking about getting a dog for years,” she explains. “After my last [family] dog passed away, I said ‘Never again’ because I was too upset. Then as time went on, we began talking about getting a dog, but there was always a reason not to: I was too busy, or he was too busy . . . And then lockdown happened and I was working from home quite a lot, and I just said: ‘D’you know what? They need that extra attention when they’re puppies, and if there was ever a time to do it, I feel like this is it.’”
The adorable bundle of fluff has "brought so much joy into our lives in such a short space of time", gushes Ryan, adding that Boo has made her an extra-popular member of staff on her trips into the RTÉ office.
“I really missed human contact with lockdown – so even though it’s only for a short time every day, I love coming into the office to see my mates,” she says.
“But now, when they see me, it’s like ‘Awww, did you not bring Boo in today?’ I’m like, ‘Jesus lads, we never see each other anymore – what about me?!’ But they love seeing her, she puts a smile on people’s faces and it’s great to be able to bring a bit of joy into the office for an hour or two.”
She’s looking forward to making Boo an official member of the Ryan-Aprile household at Christmas by including her in a time-honoured festive tradition. “Growing up, there was always a stocking left out for our dogs – and Santa would leave treats and a cuddly toy,” she recalls, laughing. “So we’ll definitely leave a stocking out for Boo this year, and hopefully Santa will bring her something. I know it sounds a little bit pathetic, but I think having that third stocking kind of makes me feel ‘Aww, this year we’ll have our own little family thing going for Christmas’. I think people who don’t have dogs think you’re crazy, but if you have a dog, you’ll understand.”
