'I’m around and they can talk to me': Jennifer Zamparelli on life at home after leaving 2FM

“I was like, oh my god, is that all I’ve left with her?”

The presenter, who has been a mainstay on her television screens since January on Dancing with the Stars, has two children, Florence and Enzo, six, tells me that family time is of great importance in the Zamparelli household.

“We play a lot of boardgames, which I hate. It’s about being available mentally. I’m not thinking about other things I have to do. So we cook a lot. We eat together all the time. We tell each other about our day.

“I went back to work so early after I had Florence and Enzo that I’m really loving being around them [now],” she explains. “These days I’m available to supervise basketball and things like that.”

The presenter’s decision to leave her primetime radio show with RTÉ 2FM last May sparked a conversation about the lack of support and flexibility for working mothers. (At the time, Zamparelli implied an inability to secure time off in the summer to mind her children was a factor in her decision to leave).

Now, she says she wants her daughter and Enzo to know “I’m around and they can talk to me”.

Communication and “being present” is the bedrock of Zamparelli and her husband’s approach to parenting.

“We’re very conscious of our phone use in front of the kids, because we’re terrified of when they get theirs, I suppose. But nobody has the answer to that yet, do they?”

And while her daughter doesn’t have a phone yet, Zamparelli knows it’s impossible to keep the world away from her.

“She’ll hear things and things will seep in. But I just want them to be kids for as long as possible. And so being playful has become a big part of what I do with them. If they ask me ‘do you want to play’, it’s me saying yes for a change, and not being very serious with them. This is still their time for toys and playing.”

There’s pride in her voice when Zamparelli talks about her family. And one thing she’s most proud of is that herself and her husband, and the kids, are “very good at apologising”.

“If I lose the rag, I will always apologise. I think it’s important for them to hear you say sorry and be apologetic. And what that means is they’re very good at apologising for when they’ve been little shits or whatever. They’re very good at that. And that’s just going back to monkey see, monkey do. They’re just gonna do as you did.”

Zamparelli and her husband Lauterio got married in 2014 and are together 18 years. When they first got together, her husband was based in London while she was in Ireland. She says that distance was the foundation of their relationship: “It’s stood to us over the years.”

“When we first met, I had this hippie friend who read our cards and these two cards came up that were two trees, which she said signified our relationship. We’re both very independent but ‘our branches’ are intertwined. And that’s very much how we are — he has his thing and I do my thing, and we really enjoy each other when we see each other.

“He really is my best friend — he sees me at my best and at my worst, and vice versa. We know how important it is to make time for each other. Last year we went to Amsterdam for two nights with no kids, and that was a game changer. Just being at the airport with no children is amazing.”

While Zamparelli says she’s enjoying the time she has to spend with her family now, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t have big plans careerwise too.

“I feel like I’m not growing if what I’m doing isn’t pushing me,” she explains. “I suppose that’s why I love live telly, like Dancing with the Stars. I never know what’s gonna happen. It really keeps you on your toes, and I love that element of it. I’ve always been a bit of a thrill seeker, and that’s why live telly suits me. One of the worst things for me is feeling bored.”

She loves being able to “dip in and out of different things”.

“It’s nice to be able to see a bit of everything, but I’m always kind of pinching myself — what am I doing here?”

Zamparelli says throughout the various work phases she dips in and out of imposter syndrome. “But you know what, I don’t think there’s any harm in that. I’ve worked with people who don’t have that, and they’re a pain in the hole. 

We’re in such a precarious wishy-washy makey-uppy industry, you just have to take it with a pinch of salt. 

“I enjoy it immensely, but I have my salon as well, which I adore being part of, and I’ll always have a little business venture in the background, in case it all goes completely AWOL.”

Over the years she has been an actor, a writer, a TV host, a podcast host, a radio presenter, and a business owner. She says she goes through five-year phases to avoid anything feeling stale. Will she ever go back to radio?

“I don’t know what the next phase is. I’d really love to do more acting, because that’s my first love, and now I have time to do projects like that. If the right thing came along on the radio, yeah, I’d never say never. I love radio. I love talking. I love talking to people, and I love hearing real stories. I think that’s what drew me to Coolmine.”

Zamparelli was recently named an ambassador to Coolmine Therapeutic Community, where she’s raising awareness of the work they do and supporting the centre as it helps individuals and families affected by addiction.

“I went to their centre, Ashley House in Dublin. I met with residents and saw the facilities they had, and I was quite blown away that this was a recovery unit where women could keep their children with them; this is the only one in the country where you can actually go in with your child, and the child is taken care of in this beautiful creche with amazing people. 

“I listened to the women’s stories when I was there, and they were telling me why they came to Coolmine. I heard so much hope and positivity — they were so relieved to be there. Now they could think ‘my life can change. I have the tools now’. It was amazing. I was really moved by their stories.”

On June 1, Zamparelli will run the Dublin Mini Marathon to raise funds for Coolmine. I know exercise is her thing, but what about running?

“I hate running, absolutely hate it,” she admits, “but apparently you can jog it so I’ll do that.

“A few of the ex-residents of Coolmine, one in particular, is going to run it. She started running when she was in Coolmine for a bit of headspace and she’s run a marathon and fitness has become a big part of her life. So yeah, she’s going to whoop my ass...”

As our chat draws to a close, Zamparelli continues talking as she dons her jacket. She’s getting ready to go to the gym. When she’s not training for a mini marathon, Zamparelli says she weight trains regularly and started lifting weights seriously last year.

Lifting weights is just for myself. It’s not to look a certain way, I like to feel strong and fit. Now it’s so much a part of my life that if I don’t train, I don’t feel great. It makes everything work for me.

It’s clear that whatever she’s doing is working for her. She’s making the most of her time with her family, while also keeping an eye to the future.

“I have a few things on the boil with some different people, but they’re a process. They take time,” she says coyly, “we’ll see what happens.”