Rita Fitzgerald Biography
Rita Fitzgerald is a media personality serving as a presenter and journalist for UTV. Previously, she presented a mid-morning radio current affairs talk show at 7fm (now part of Q Network) and freelanced at the BBC.
Rita Fitzgerald Age
She is 50 years old as of 2021.
Rita Fitzgerald Height
She is tall in stature. However, her height is undisclosed.
Rita Fitzgerald Nationality
Fitzgerald is British by nationality.
Rita Fitzgerald Education
Rita attended St Paul’s Secondary in Bessbrook. She also did her A-levels in Belfast.
“I had to work hard at school, but my problem was I didn’t work hard enough. My school report always said things like ‘if she applied herself could do very well.’ I got there in the end, doing my A-levels in Belfast,” she said.
After studying A-levels at the College of Business Studies, followed by a degree in Social Science in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Rita took off to travel around Australia, touring the US on her way back “on a shoestring budget”, and came back to Dublin for a year before deciding to explore the countries on her doorstep.
Having satisfied her thirst to travel, Rita came back to the UK to study journalism at Leeds, aged 34.
Rita Fitzgerald Family
Rita, the third youngest of a family of nine grew up in a large family on a farm in Co Down. She had four brothers and four sisters and they were raised on the McNulty beef farm.
“It was totally crazy. We had our own football team as well as a band and all these years later when we get together each summer, we reform the band,” she says.
“I’m already feeling sorry for the people across the lake. We’re a very musical family, so when the drums and guitars and singing are at full pelt we can make a lot of noise,” she adds.
“Two of my older brothers live in Australia, but come home every year for the family get-together. The ages range from big brother Anthony who is the oldest at 57, down to youngest sister Fiona who is 40 and, with 25 nieces and nephews, it can get very busy.”
Rita’s mum Anne, who helped out on the farm while raising her brood turned 80 in 2017, while her dad Eamon turned 86. Among Rita’s most precious memories of her childhood are the times spent together as a family during hay time.
“The summers always seemed to be really hot and we would be up baling hay. It didn’t matter if you were man or woman you would carry the bales whether you were fit for it not,” she says. “We’d stack the bales in the barn then all pile on to this rickety old tractor and teeter down the road on top of more bales and stack them in another shed before going for a swim in the lake at the end of the day. It was a real family event.”
Rita Fitzgerald Husband
The UTV Journalist has been married to his husband John (56) for more than 15 years. The couple met in a mutual friend’s coffee shop ahead of John’s school reunion. He was in full tuxedo and they hit it off straight away.
John is an architect. He is also responsible for developments including the Arc Apartments in Titanic Quarter.
“He’s a very charming man, with great integrity and respect, and always has a nice warm smile on him,” Rita says.
“He really makes me laugh, and still gives me that warm, fuzzy feeling all these years later which is gorgeous.
“John started his own business during the recession, so it was tough for a while but he now has a great team and he skips out the door and loves going to work. He does a mix of posh houses and larger projects,” Rita explains.
In the early stages of their relationship, John built a bolthole in Donegal which the family escapes to whenever they have the opportunity.
The couple also has a ten-year-old daughter named Ellie. She was born when her mum was 40 and she describes her as a “fabulous wee woman”.
Rita Fitzgerald UTV
Fitzgerald is a presenter and journalist for UTV. She has presented the popular six-part archaeology series, Ulster Unearthed. Her job also involves presenting the news and weather on Good Morning Britain and other programmes, as well as continuity.
Before joining UTV, she presented a mid-morning radio current affairs talk show at 7fm (now part of Q Network) and freelanced at the BBC.
“I was planning to stay in England and work when some freelance work came up at the BBC in Belfast.”
Prior to becoming a journalist, Fitzgerald did a host of jobs, including teaching English as a foreign language in France, Australia, and America.
“That was an amazing experience and I got to travel and see some wonderful places and enjoy different cultures,” she says.
She also hosts events across Northern Ireland as an ambassador for the Tiny Life charity.
Rita Fitzgerald Salary and Net Worth
Her salary and net worth are under review.
Rita Fitzgerald Instagram
She does not have an Instagram account.
Rita Fitzgerald Twitter
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