'I rocked out as a heavy metal DJ', reveals UTV news anchor Alison Comyn

The UTV Ireland star (46) now works in the world of the news and current affairs but she started out her career as a heavy metal DJ on a local radio station.

"It was a start off for me in broadcasting, I was studying broadcast journalism in Ballyfermot College of Further Education. I was in LMFM and I used to do the ads for them and that became a gig on Saturday nights," she said.

"It had been the romantic slot but it was 1992 and I was into grunge so I turned it into pure metal."

Along with revealing her love of rock music, Alison disclosed her farming credentials recently - when she sheared her first sheep.

"I went around the Ploughing Championships and I thought we can do lots of straight interviews with politicians, because they're all lining up because it's before elections," she said.

"So I was walking around I thought I could either milk a cow - which I have done before and wasn't very pleasant - or I can shear a sheep, so I did it."

Speaking to the Anton Savage Show on Today FM, Alison said that although she would love to go back to her radio roots, she doesn't have time now she's a news anchor.

"I might accept [another job offer] if it meant that I didn't have to spend half the day in the hairdressers and get make-up," she joked.