Over half a million people watched Vicky Phelan on The Late Late Show on Friday
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More than half a million viewers tuned in to the Late Late Show on Friday, making it the highest-rated programme on Irish television last weekend.
Some 563,000 viewers tuned in to the show, which featured Mario Rosenstock, Christy Moore and Vicky Phelan on the night.
Slightly more than half of people who were watching television at the time were tuned into the show, which captured a 53% audience share.
Figures suggest the main draw of the night was Vicky Phelan with a spokesperson for RTÉ confirming that of the almost 40,000 streams of the show so far on the RTÉ Player, 20,500 streamed Vicky Phelan’s interview alone.
The tireless campaigner was met with a standing ovation when she walked on to the set last Friday and has since issued a heartfelt message of thanks to the people of Ireland after her appearance on the late night show.
In an Instagram post, the campaigner said she was “absolutely blown away” by the reaction to her interview on the show on Friday night.
"To the people of Ireland who have supported me and continue to support me, I can never thank you enough," she said.
The Kilkenny native opened up about the difficult decision to cease chemotherapy and begin palliative care treatment in the powerful interview on Friday night.
The campaigner, who shared the news that she had decided to stop chemotherapy in an Instagram post earlier this month, told host Ryan Tubridy that following her first dose of chemotherapy on October 18 she “could not get out of the bed” for nearly two weeks.
“That’s how bad it was,” she said, in a frank conversation in which she discussed details of her illness and her own funeral and admitted she hadn't believed she would make it to Christmas just four weeks earlier.
Taking to social media on Sunday, the CervicalCheck campaigner thanked the people of Ireland for their support along with a number of individuals including make-up artist Lisa Poole and Sonya Lennon and Brendan Courtney of Lennon Courtney who got her all glammed up on the night. She also thanked Steve and Joe Wall of who performed live on the show, who invited her in to the studio to hear them play live.
She thanked Ryan Tubridy for a “sensitive interview” and for all his support over the past 12 months “in particular with messages of support while I was away in the States.”
“To ALL the team behind the scenes on the Late Late Show, especially Ian and Yvonne, for looking after me so well Friday night and for sending me home with flowers, chocolates and the coveted Late Late Toy Show pyjamas for my kids - THANK YOU.”