Darren Kennedy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 12 January 1981 |
| Education | Dublin Institute of Technology, University of Bordeaux, Central St Martins |
| Occupation(s) | Television presenter, style expert,[citation needed] entrepreneur |
| Years active | 2006–Present |
| Employer(s) | RTÉ, BBC, ITV |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.86 m) |
| Website | http://www.darrenkennedy.co.uk/ |
Darren Kennedy (born 12 January 1981)[1] is an Irish television presenter,[2] style & design expert[3] and entrepreneur from Dublin, Ireland[4] now based between New York & Los Angeles.[5] He has hosted television shows on BBC, ITV and RTÉ.[6] He is the creator and co-founder of men's grooming brand Kennedy & Co.
Kennedy began his career in Ireland as a reporter on the Gerry Ryan show 2FM and TV’s Operation Transformation on RTÉ One,[7] and hosted celebrity entertainment series #Trending on RTÉ 2[8] and regularly presented on ITV 1's This Morning[9] alongside Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield.
He co-created and presented 'Gay Daddy',[10][11] and co-presented and devised The Unemployables series with Jennifer Maguire.[12] Well known and respected for his aesthetic & sense of style, his home was featured in Celebrity Home of The Year on RTE One and he hosted the six-part series Buyers Bootcamp on Virgin Media.
In 2019 he was a contestant on Dancing With The Stars. In March 2020, he was announced as one of the Fab Five on BBC One's new flagship makeover series You Are What You Wear with Rylan Clark.[13] In January 2021, he took part in Celebrity Mastermind.
As of January 2023, he is presenting 'Celebrity Closets' from Los Angeles on ITV's Lorraine, also broadcast across the USA on Emmy Award winning entertainment news progamme EXTRA, where he interviews celebrities at home as they take viewers on a trip down memory lane via their wardrobes.[14]
In April 2023, Kennedy launched his podcast 'The Number' which he created, produces and hosts. On it he explores the question can a life be measured in numbers? Each week, he asks his guests their seven most significant numbers and how they've shaped their lives.
He writes a hugely popular weekly Interior Design column in the Sunday Independent LIFE magazine.
He is a prominent voice on LGBT rights and activism.
| TV programme[citation needed] | Channel / Network[citation needed] | |
|---|---|---|
| Lorraine: Celebrity Closets Host | Production Company: ITV Studios America
Broadcaster: ITV |
|
| You Are What You Wear | Production Company: Multistory
Broadcaster: BBC One | |
| Buyers Bootcamp | Production Company:
Broadcaster: Virgin Media One | |
| Dancing with the Stars - Contestant | Production Company:
Broadcaster: RTE | |
| The Royal Wedding - Co-Presenter | Production Company:
Broadcaster: RTE One | |
| Xpose - Guest Studio Anchor | Production Company:
Broadcaster: Virgin Media One (formerly TV3) | |
| Dream House | Production Company:
Broadcaster: RTE | |
| The Peter Mark VIP Style Awards | Production Company:
Broadcaster: TV3 | |
| What Britain Buys | Production Company: Sundog Pictures
Broadcaster: Channel 4 | |
| The Power of TOWIE | Production Company: Lime Pictures
Broadcaster: ITVbe | |
| Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side | Production Company: Endemol
Broadcaster: Channel 4 | |
| Celebrity Mastermind | Production Company: Hat Trick Productions
Broadcaster: BBC | |
| The Unemployables | Production Company: CoCo Productions
Broadcaster: RTE 2 | |
| The Xtra Factor | Production Company: Thames/ Syco
Broadcaster: ITV 2 | |
| #Trending | Production Company: CoCo Productions
Broadcaster: RTE 2 | |
| BAFTA Red Carpet Masterclass | Production Company:
Broadcaster: | |
| Topman & Google+ | Production Company:
Broadcaster: | |
| This Morning | Production Company: ITV
Broadcaster: ITV | |
| Like A Virgin | Production Company: CoCo Productions
Broadcaster: RTE 2 | |
| Gay Daddy | Production Company: CoCo Productions
Broadcaster: RTE 2 | |
| Fox News | Production Company:
Broadcaster: Fox News | |
| Holiday Heaven on Earth | Production Company:
Broadcaster: Channel 5 | |
| Global Entrepreneurship Week | Production Company:
Broadcaster: Channel 4 | |
| Project Parent | Production Company:
Broadcaster: BBC/ CBBC | |
| This Morning’s Digital Download | Production Company:
Broadcaster: ITV | |
| Irish Film & Television Awards red carpet (IFTAS) | Production Company:
Broadcaster: |
In 2019, Kennedy took part in the third series of Dancing with the Stars on RTÉ. He was partnered with Karen Byrne, they competed into the fifth week.[15]
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Total | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redmond | Barry | Benson | ||||
| 1 | Tango / "Sharp Dressed Man" | 5 | 5 | 6 | 16 | No elimination |
| 2 | No dance performed | - | - | - | - | |
| 3 | Jive / "Fun, Fun, Fun" | 4 | 5 | 5 | 14 | Safe |
| 4 | Charleston / "I Wanna Be Like You" | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | Safe |
| 5 | Salsa / "María" | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | Eliminated |
He designed a contemporary suiting and outerwear collection in collaboration with Irish tailor Louis Copeland which produced six sell-out collections.[16] He is a fashion ambassador for the UK highstreet optician Specsavers.[17][18] He regularly works with some fashion brands including Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger and Topman.[citation needed] He has hosted for BAFTA, GQ, several seasons of London Fashion Week Festival for the British Fashion Council and live on the red carpet for the Brit Awards.[citation needed] Darren also regularly contributes to Beverly Hills Lifestyle magazine.[citation needed]
Kennedy's first solo venture was in his early twenties when he established a style bureau providing consultancy services to personal and corporate clients including blue chip companies Google, Tommy Hilfiger and BMW. An offshoot of this business developed into an online magazine Help My Style.[19][dead link]
In November 2018, he launched Irish Made, skin and hair care brand Kennedy & Co.[20][21] In 2020, the brand announced it had signed a deal to be distributed across the Middle East.[22]
Kennedy is regularly nominated in most Stylish Man award categories.[citation needed] He was voted winner of Ireland's Most Stylish Man at the VIP (magazine) Style Awards in 2013.[23] He subsequently went on to host the televised awards show for three consecutive years on TV3.
In 2016 he was nominated for the IFTA Film & Drama Awards TV Rising Star award.[24]
Kennedy was named Most influential Fashion Journalist in Ireland in the annual Murray Twitter Index.[25]
