Katja Mia and Brian Dowling didn’t know each other before they were first paired together on screen. Katja was working on Ireland AM at the time as Brian was filling in as a relief presenter. When Karen Koster and Greg O’Shea stepped away from The Six O’Clock Show , bosses in Virgin Media picked the pair as their replacements because they could see their natural chemistry. Things are now busy for them on the sofa every evening, but things are equally as hectic in real life after Brian and his husband, Dancing With The Stars judge Arthur Gourounlian, became parents for the second time last year, and Katja got engaged to social media star Daragh Curran, better known as The Guinness Guru. While the pair are always positive online and on TV they have to deal with a lot of online abuse due their respective skin colour and sexuality.
Here, in a candid interview, Brian defends his husband Arthur and opens up about being called horrendous names because he’s a gay father. And Katja reveals her wedding plans as she and Daragh jet off to her native Burundi for a special engagement celebration.
Read more: Brian Dowling found it scary and turned to the Gardaí for help when his address was made public
Read more: Katja Mia will marry fiancé Daragh in overseas wedding after traditional African engagement party
Brian, last month your husband Arthur Gourounlian was criticised by Samantha Mumba for his role on the Eurosong panel on The Late Late Show .
Listen, there’s a lot I would like to say. When someone comes for your husband, personally, it’s very difficult. Of course she’s entitled to her opinion, absolutely. I’ve met Samantha before and she was always very lovely to me. Her and Arthur had a lovely reunion before the show and they know numerous people. It was her comments talking about Arthur’s lack of credentials. I think she labelled Arthur a dancer with no formal experience. Arthur trained himself. He was living in Armenia and he was a refugee. There was a war going on and there were bigger things to do than learn to dance. That didn’t stop him touring the world with so many amazing people and I thought she crossed a line there, just being really personal. I don’t think she needed to do that. I think it was unfortunate. Arthur has worked with four Eurovision winners. He was on the selection for the Armenian Eurosong. He’s done numerous Eurovision festivals. He was the only panellist invited back from last year’s panel. Arthur knows Eurovision in and out. I just don’t think she needed to be so personal. And I think she really distracted from EMMY winning. When I think of Samantha Mumba now I think bitter lemon and sour grapes. I’ve always had pleasant encounters with her and I think it’s just a little bit unfortunate because Arthur has such a love for Eurovision and such a love for Samantha. I’m obsessed with her music from the 90s and we were so excited she was coming in, I think it just kind of left me feeling a bit awkward about it all. Arthur has chosen to not really to say anything about it, whereas Donal Skehan had a few things to say. I think Donal’s recipes for eggplant and aubergine have gone through the roof. What’s been really fun is people tapping into it, because the world is quite heavy and dark at the moment. I think it’s brought a bit of light relief, really. Realistically, as everyone said, the public also agreed with the panel. The song was not chosen. There were issues with the staging, her voice and the Irish dancing. Obviously she’s hurt, which I get. But I think you can handle it one of two ways and, in my opinion, when she comes after my husband we just don’t need to go there and make it so personal.”
Do you think Arthur handled it well?
Yes, because he said nothing. I think that was the wise thing to do. Arthur is very passionate about what he does.
You and Arthur will celebrate 10 years of marriage this summer. Have you anything special planned?
We will do something, whether it’s a holiday, a getaway or something, but it’s just trying to find the time.
Will you bring the kids?
Of course! We’re married 10 years this year, with two kids now, so there’ll be lots to celebrate. It doesn’t feel like it’s 10 years, it feels like it’s been about four or five. In this day and age, especially the industry that we’re in, we still like each other and we’re still happy. I’m 47 this year and Arthur is 45 and I feel like we’re only starting out because our kids are so young. Some of our friends have 16 and 17 year olds.
How does your day work between radio and TV? You’re away from home a lot, is that hard?
It is hard, and I think that’s why it was very crucial that whoever I was working with on the show had to be someone I like and get on with because the days are so long. I remember when I started the show we were already pregnant with our second baby and no-one knew. I obviously didn’t disclose that. I knew whoever was sitting beside me was going to be involved and that is the same on radio working with Suzanne Kane on 98FM. Anyone that works 12 or 13 hours a day will get that it’s full on, especially as a parent. You always feel like you are missing out. But, luckily, I was able to take the whole summer off, which was amazing. I prioritise sleep, which is very important. I’m in bed most nights before 10 o’clock and I don’t have a social life. I lived a very fabulous gay life in London in my 20s and 30s, constantly going out and doing so much stuff. I’m a little bit older now.
Katja, you got engaged to influencer Daragh Curran in September. How are the wedding plans coming along?
We do have a date, but it hasn’t been revealed. We are planning to get married in 2026. Before that, I have my traditional engagement and we’re going to Burundi, which is where my parents are from, for three weeks. It’s such a big deal to have a traditional engagement over there where Daragh has to pay a dowry and do speeches with dancers and drummers, and he has never been to that part of Africa before. He’s so excited, I’m bringing a bunch of people from Ashbourne with me. We’re looking forward to that this year. That’s the first hurdle, and then we’ll worry about the wedding next year.
Will you get married here or abroad?
Abroad. Nobody told me the amount of things you have to think about and the hats you have to wear when planning a wedding. Daragh is great for planning. He’s really leaning into this now.
How will he cope in Africa, will he be awkward or will he embrace it?
He just embraces it. I think he’s actually going to throw himself in there. And he literally said to me, “I’m excited to be the only white person in the room.” That’s a slice of my life because I’m always the only black person in the room. I’m like, “welcome to my world” – it’s going to be so, so much fun. The blending of cultures and the blending of families will be so much fun.
Daragh is well-known from being The Guinness Guru online, but his roles on The Six O’Clock Show and Dancing With The Stars opened him up to a new audience.
K: He thinks it is absolutely gas, because he will get DMs and comments from people who watch this show. He always gets messages about what I’m wearing. He’s so involved. Daragh doesn’t care about any of that. He very much removes himself from any of that stuff.
B: Katja and Daragh were at Blu’s christening and my sisters wanted to get a picture. I told them to leave Katja alone, but they didn’t want it with Katja, they wanted it with Daragh.
The Six O’Clock Show is celebrating 10 years on air.
B: I am part of a show that is kind of an institution, just like Ireland AM . All of my family have watched it. I was lucky enough to be here as the temp first, so I got to work with all the different presenters, but we’re having so much fun. It doesn’t feel like work.
K: I was always a fan of the show. I always used to watch it while I was working on Ireland AM , it just felt like the cooler older sister to Ireland AM . To be able to mind these chairs and have our time in these seats after so many amazing presenters came before us, it’s just been such a privilege.
How did you both land your roles?
B: We met for the first time on Ireland AM when we were hosting a Christmas show, we’d never met before. We didn’t have to do a screen test together because they saw us together on Ireland AM and thought we had natural chemistry. It was quite nice to be just offered something, because a lot of times in this job you’ve got to screen test.
K: I was in the dressing room and Brian walked in with rollers and gold eye masks on. I just thought, ‘Oh my God, he’s either going to be the biggest diva in the world or he’s going to be my cup of tea’ – and he’s my cup of tea.
What have been your highlights while working on The Six O’Clock Show ?
B: For me, it’s personal. Getting pregnant with Blu and then sharing with everyone. I started to wear more blue on the show and everyone thought it was going to be a boy, but it’s my daughter’s name. I was able to share that with our viewers and then leave to take the summer off.
K: I’m pretty new to this, so I still really enjoy being challenged with the role of being a TV presenter. I got to do an in-person junket with Colm Meaney and I was so nervous going in. It was in a little room in the Westbury Hotel and it was just the most electrifying feeling. I’m such a big music lover so having Craig David on the show was huge. He’s gorgeous, but he’s just such a gorgeous human being as well.
Who are your stand out guests?
B: We got Russell Crowe and he was coming to us live from Rome. We were supposed to have him for like six minutes and we had him for 12, and he wanted to stay on. I had to say, “I’m so sorry Russell, I have to wrap you up. So sorry.” I interviewed Delta Goodrem when I was filling in for Greg O’Shea. She followed me and messaged me afterwards. Arthur and I listened to her Innocent Eyes album on repeat for years. She was lovely and so humble.
K: Kyle MacLachlan from Sex And The City and Desperate Housewives kept repeating our names. We were gushing! It’s important for us to introduce ourselves and say hello before the show and you never assume they’ve met us before.
B: We work the green room. I was on my first job in television, and Cat Deeley told me that no matter who you’re meeting, you always say, ‘Hello, my name is Cat, nice to meet you’. And I got that from her. She said that you can’t presume someone knows your name, because they may not.
Brian, you’ve been very honest about the trolling you and Arthur have received since becoming parents. Has that died off?
Arthur and I don’t allow it to seep in as much, but it’s very difficult. I’d say 95% of it is good, but the 5% is so bad that we were in contact with the Gardaí, and it was just scary. When your address goes up online, people are doing that to incite some form of hatred. That was very, very dangerous, because Aoife was heavily pregnant with Blu at home, Blake was a baby and everyone knows I’m on radio and telly so I’m not there. I went down a rabbit hole of stuff that’s been said about me. It was the worst of the worst that people would say from paedophilia to sexual abuse to alcohol use. The amount of stuff people accuse you of. I spoke with the people that investigate hate crimes online and they said that the chances are it’s people you know. I think Arthur and I tick a box for everything people don’t like, we are a same-sex couple, we used surrogacy, my husband’s a refugee and an immigrant.I think we annoy a certain type of person.
Do people comment on the girls?
I’ve had comments about my daughter’s skin tone and my daughter’s hair. It’s so funny. What do they mean, ‘She really gets the sun, or her skin’s dark, or she’s really sallow’. Katja and I take the piss out of it, but there have been many times I cried in there because it makes you worry as a parent, the kind of world that you’re bringing your children into. I recently put up a video of Blake on the potty, all you could see were her feet. And the amount of hate I got, ‘You’re disgusting’ and ‘You’re taking advantage’ or ‘You’re prostituting your child’. I think you can’t get it right, and once you understand that and get it there’s a lot more freedom. There are freaks out there and they’re disguised as normal people. You can’t be messaging someone calling them a paedophile, just because they’re gay and have kids. It’s 2025. People can’t be inciting hate. Enough is enough.
How is potty training going?
I don’t know how my mam did it with the seven of us. Blake is sassy and she’s a determined little girl. She’s acing it.
What about you Katja, how do you find the online comments?
It’s so refreshing to have conversations at work with someone like Brian because he gets it. Arthur is a refugee and my parents were refugees. The level of understanding we share is so nice. There are going to be really tough days and you need someone to lean on. When I’m not fully with it and going through something Brian could be doing double time, and vice versa. We have each other’s backs in that sense.
This interview with Brian and Katja appeared in the March issue of RSVP Magazine.
The Six O’Clock Show airs Monday to Friday from 6:05pm – 7pm on Virgin Media Play and Virgin Media One. The Six O’Clock Show’s special 10th anniversary show airs on Monday 17th February 2025.
