Dermot O'Leary facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dermot O'Leary
O'Leary at Waterstones, London in 2024
Born	Seán Dermot O'Leary (1973-05-24) 24 May 1973 (age 52) Colchester, Essex, England
Citizenship	Ireland United Kingdom
Occupation	Broadcaster
Years active	1998–present
Employer	ITV BBC
Spouse(s)	Dee Koppang ​ (m. 2012)​
Children	1

Seán Dermot O'Leary (born 24 May 1973) is a popular British-Irish TV and radio presenter. He is well-known for hosting the TV talent show The X Factor on ITV from 2007 to 2018. Since 2021, Dermot has been a presenter on ITV's This Morning. He often hosts on Fridays, during school holidays, and on bank holidays with Alison Hammond.

Dermot started his career in radio as a disc jockey at Essex Radio. He also worked for London's indie rock station XFM from 2001 to 2003. In 2004, he joined BBC Radio 2. He now presents the Saturday morning breakfast show and Alternative Sounds of the 90's.

Early Life and Education

Seán Dermot O'Leary was born on 24 May 1973 in Colchester, Essex. His parents, Maria and Seán, are both from Co. Wexford, Ireland. He went to primary school in Marks Tey and then to St Benedict's Catholic College in Colchester.

After school, Dermot studied for his A-Levels at Colchester Sixth Form College. He later earned a degree in Media Studies with Politics from Middlesex University.

Growing Up and Hobbies

When he was younger, Dermot was a member of The Boys' Brigade, a Christian youth group. In his late teens, he played American football for the Colchester Gladiators and the Ipswich Cardinals. He wore the number 32 on his jersey.

Dermot's Career Journey

Starting in TV and Radio

Dermot O'Leary began his career as a disc jockey at BBC Essex. He then worked as a runner on the TV show Light Lunch. Later, he became a presenter for Channel 4 on their T4 show.

He also hosted Big Brother's Little Brother on E4 from 2001. This was a show that went along with the main Big Brother series. In 2004, Dermot hosted the reality television series Shattered.

Working at ITV

On 29 March 2007, Dermot was announced as the new host of ITV's The X Factor. He took over from Kate Thornton. He hosted the show for eight years.

On 27 March 2015, Dermot announced he was leaving The X Factor. He wanted to work on other projects. He was replaced by Olly Murs and Caroline Flack. However, on 29 March 2016, Dermot returned to host The X Factor again. He said he was "very flattered" to be asked back.

Other ITV Shows

From 2010 to 2019, Dermot presented the National Television Awards for ITV. Since 2010, he has also hosted Soccer Aid on ITV. This is a celebrity football match that raises money for the charity Unicef.

In 2011, Dermot hosted The Marriage Ref on ITV. In September 2013, he hosted BRITs Icon: Elton John, a music special. In January 2014, Dermot filled in for Phillip Schofield on This Morning. He presented alongside Holly Willoughby.

In 2017, Dermot co-presented the BRIT Awards with Emma Willis. In November 2020, it was announced that Dermot and Alison Hammond would take over the Friday slot on This Morning. They started presenting together in January 2021.

Time at Channel 4

Dermot's last series of Big Brother was Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack in 2007. He made his final Big Brother appearance on 28 January 2008.

In March 2014, Dermot returned to Channel 4 to present the Live From Space season.

Working for the BBC

Dermot O'Leary has been a presenter for Comic Relief multiple times, including in 2005, 2011, and 2013. He also presented Sport Relief in 2012. In August 2006, he hosted the game show 1 vs. 100 on BBC One.

In May 2009, Dermot became the presenter of Matt Lucas and David Walliams's show Rock Profile on BBC. In March 2010, he hosted a special Question Time for first-time voters. He also presented Dermot Meets..., where he interviewed important figures like David Cameron and Gordon Brown.

In November 2015, Dermot stepped in to present Children in Need for Terry Wogan. In 2016, he presented the BBC One game show The Getaway Car. He has also guest-presented The One Show.

Radio Career

Dermot joined London's indie rock station XFM in 2001. He presented weekday mornings and then a Saturday evening show until 2003.

He joined BBC Radio 2 in September 2004. He hosted a Saturday afternoon show called Dermot's Saturday Club. His show focused on new music and featured live sessions. He won Sony Gold Awards for Music Programme of the Year in 2008, 2010, and 2013.

Since March 2017, Dermot has presented the Saturday morning breakfast show on BBC Radio 2. It airs between 8 am and 10 am and is called Saturday Breakfast with Dermot. Since April 2022, he has also presented Alternative Sounds of the 90s with Dermot O'Leary.

Other Projects

In March 2009, Dermot introduced Michael Jackson to fans at The O2. This was Jackson's last public appearance before his passing.

In 2015, GQ magazine named him one of the 50 Best Dressed Men in Britain. He has also done voice-overs for Amazon Prime advertisements. Dermot has written children's books, including Toto the Ninja Cat and the Great Snake Escape (2017) and Wings of Glory (2024).

Charity Work

Dermot O'Leary is involved with many charities. He is a president of Better Planet Education. He is also a patron of CineMagic, a children's film festival in Belfast.

He has supported the Make Poverty History campaign. He visited Sierra Leone with CAFOD to see their work. He is also a patron of the Everyman campaign, which raises awareness for male cancer. In 2003, he played in a charity American football match for the Colchester Gladiators. This helped raise £2,500 for the Barnardo's children's fund.

In 2005, Dermot ran the London Marathon for the third time. He completed it in under four hours for the first time. For Red Nose Day 2015, Dermot took part in a 24-hour dance challenge to raise money for Comic Relief.

Personal Life

Dermot O'Leary married his long-time girlfriend, Dee Koppang, in Chiddingstone in September 2012. Dee is of Norwegian descent. They have one son named Kasper, who was born in June 2020.

Dermot supports the Labour Party. He is a fan of football clubs Arsenal F.C. and Celtic F.C., and rugby team London Irish RFC. He also supports Wexford GAA in Gaelic games. He has mentioned his support for the Republic of Ireland national football team and the national rugby union team.

In 2007, Dermot was an usher at the wedding of Holly Willoughby. He is a practising Roman Catholic.

Television Appearances

Radio Shows