‘It was heartbreaking’ – Jennifer Zamparelli says she left 2FM after RTÉ refused her time off to care for children

Zamparelli, who is one of five high-profile people to have left the radio station in recent weeks, said the contracts for herself, Doireann Garrihy and the 2 Johnnies had all come up for renewal at the same time.

“At the heart of it, I didn’t want to go, I didn’t want to leave my show,” she said. “And it was heartbreaking – it really was. But something had to give and unfortunately, that was it.”

She explained that her husband Lauterio was away working full-time on a project as a stunt co-ordinator and performer, which effectively left her “single parenting” the couple’s two children.

“He’s very busy and this is his time to fly – I needed more time off this summer and RTÉ just couldn’t give me that,” Zamparelli told VIP magazine.

The presenter had taken extended time off in April while her father had been unwell. She said RTÉ had been “very supportive” during that time. “But, look, I get it, they need to run a radio station,” she said.

RTÉ said it would not comment on the situation.

Zamparelli, who briefly presented a parenting podcast with former 2FM colleague Lottie Ryan, said she was missing her radio work.

“While podcasts are great, they don’t have the immediacy that radio has,” she said.

She praised her 2FM replacement Laura Fox for doing a “stellar job”, but said she had not yet been able to listen to her old slot because she was missing it too much.

Asked whether it was coincidental that she left at the same time as Garrihy and The 2 Johnnies, she said: “I think all our contracts were up at the same time.

“I hadn’t spoken to Doireann about it at all. I read her news in the news, like everybody else.”

2FM Breakfast presenter Donncha O’Callaghan has also since announced his departure from the station.

Zamparelli said she was now looking for jobs she could “tailor around family life”, and had started writing a comedy series.

Meanwhile, more than 200 people have so far applied to be a new presenter on 2FM.

On Tuesday, the station announced it was seeking applications from would-be presenters, including from outside the broadcaster.

A spokeswoman for the station said: “In less than 24 hours, 2FM has received over 220 expressions of interest.”

The station said it was creating a “long list of presenters – refreshed every two years – who would appeal to a 15- to 34-year-old audience”.

It added that whenever a vacancy would become available, it would create a shortlist from its panel of possible presenters using “weighted criteria”.

The station said it would be accepting applications from those over the age of 18, who “believe you have the personality, experience and skill set to present music and entertainment programmes for younger audiences and love music”.