Jennifer Zamparelli (née Maguire; born 9 April 1980) is an Irish

comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...

and television presenter. She is known for her role on the TV show ''

Republic of Telly ''Republic of Telly'' is a TV review and magazine programme on Irish public broadcaster, RTÉ2. Presented by comedian Kevin McGahern, the programme is intended as a satirical examination of television, mocking various Irish and British TV channe ...

'', where she was a primary writer, and as co-host of the 2FM morning show '' Breakfast Republic'' with Bernard O'Shea and

Keith Walsh Keith Walsh is an Irish radio DJ. Previously the lead anchor for RTÉ 2fm's early morning programme '' Breakfast Republic'' with comedians Bernard O'Shea and Jennifer Maguire, Walsh now presents on 2fm on Saturdays and Sundays. His involvement ...

. She also stars in the sitcom '' Bridget & Eamon''.

Career

Zamparelli appeared on the British television series '' The Apprentice'' in its fourth series as a 27-year-old marketing consultant, who says that when she first ran an office, she made £60,000 in six months with no training. She described herself as "the best saleswoman in Europe at the moment". The media portrayed her as "an ice maiden" and as resembling "someone frozen alive while chewing a wasp". She was fired in week 7 along with Jenny Celerier. After leaving ''The Apprentice'' Zamparelli returned to Ireland. She has since embarked on a television career. In August 2008, she participated in the Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) reality television show '' Fáilte Towers'', where she reached the final. During the show she went to

Castle Leslie Castle Leslie, also known as Glaslough House, is home to an Irish branch of Clan Leslie, is located on the 4 km2 (1,000-acre) Castle Leslie Estate adjacent to the village of Glaslough, northeast of Monaghan town in County Monaghan, Irel ...

with fellow contestant Don Baker. She has also been on radio with

Ray Foley Raymond Foley is an Irish television host and radio presenter. Having worked at Dublin's 98FM and SPIN 1038 early in his career, Foley moved to Today FM in 2004. In 2006, he moved to midday and presented ''The Ray Foley Show'', with sidekick ...

Today FM Today FM is an Irish commercial FM radio station, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio Ireland Limited. Broadcasting since 17 March 1997, it broadcasts mostly music, with a daily news and current affairs programme. Today FM holds a licen ...

. In March 2009, Zamparelli was believed to be running a chain of (two) photography studios in Ireland. She presented the long-running satirical clip show ''

'' on

RTÉ Two (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Republic of Ireland, Irish Public broadcasting, public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, television, RT� ...

. She was going to leave it to return to the UK in 2011 but decided to stay in Ireland and continue her work on the show. She notably rendered

Ryanair Ryanair is an Irish Low-cost carrier#Ultra low-cost carrier, ultra low-cost airline group headquartered in Swords, County Dublin, Ireland. The parent company, Ryanair Holdings plc, includes subsidiaries Ryanair , Malta Air, Buzz (Ryanair), Buzz ...

chief executive Michael O'Leary speechless on this show when she asked him: "What's it like being the biggest prick in Ireland?" She has also recommended to Marty Whelan that he retire, accused the late

Gerry Ryan Gerard Ryan (4 June 1956 – 30 April 2010) was an Irish people, Irish presenter of radio and television employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). He presented ''The Gerry Ryan Show'' on radio station RTÉ 2fm each weekday morning from 1 ...

of being "too old" for the

Meteor Music Awards A Meteor Ireland Music Award was an accolade bestowed upon professionals in the music industry in Ireland and further afield. They had been bestowed each year since 2001, replacing the IRMA Ireland Music Awards held in the 1990s. Promoted by M ...

and queried if

Gráinne Seoige Gráinne Seoige (; born 5 November 1973) is an Irish people, Irish journalist, news anchor and documentary and entertainment television presenter. A noted Irish language supporter, Seoige is the only television personality to have worked with a ...

cringes while watching '' The All Ireland Talent Show''. In 2010 she presented ''One Night Stand'' on RTÉ. RTÉ deemed it too risque and cancelled it after one series, to the annoyance of Zamparelli who adjudged them prudish in their outlook. In September 2011, she was subjected to a mix-up when her pictures mistakenly appeared on the website of model agency Assets. In 2012, she presented online TV show ''Snug TV''. In October 2018, Zamparelli was announced as the new co-host of the Irish version of ''

Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (commonly referred to as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly Ballroom dance, ballroom and Latin dance, Latin dance. Each couple is ...

'' alongside

Nicky Byrne Nicholas Bernard James Adam McGarry Byrne Jr. (born 9 October 1978) is an Irish pop singer, songwriter and radio and television presenter. He is best known for being a member of the pop group Westlife; Westlife has since released twelve albums, ...

. In March 2019, it was announced that Zamparelli would be leaving '' Breakfast Republic'' to front her own mid-morning show from June. In May 2024, she announced that she would be leaving

RTÉ 2fm RTÉ 2fm, or 2FM as it is more commonly referred to, is an Irish radio station operated by RTÉ. The station specialises in current popular music and chart hits and is the second national radio station in Ireland. History The station commenc ...

after more than a decade with the station.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zamparelli, Jennifer 1980 births Living people The Apprentice (British TV series) candidates Participants in Irish reality television series Irish women comedians Comedians from Dublin (city) Radio personalities from the Republic of Ireland RTÉ television presenters Irish women radio presenters Irish women television presenters Broadcasters from Dublin (city)