Dermot O’Leary is returning to host Soccer Aid as the charity football match marks its 20th anniversary, continuing a role he has held since 2010. The ITV presenter will be joined by former England and Arsenal defender Alex Scott at London Stadium on Sunday, as celebrities and ex-footballers come together once again to raise funds for UNICEF. O’Leary said he was proud the event had reached two decades without losing momentum, praising the public’s continued generosity and the way the match supports children’s causes around the world. For him, the lasting appeal of Soccer Aid lies in seeing people believe in the event year after year.
O’Leary, now 53, has spent nearly 30 years on television and has presented shows including This Morning, The X Factor and T4. Although widely known by his shortened professional name, he was born Seán Dermot Fintan O’Leary Jr in Colchester in 1973, five years after his parents moved from County Wexford in Ireland to Essex. He has often spoken about his Irish identity, describing himself as Irish but not from Ireland. He has held an Irish passport since childhood and says his background has always felt natural rather than forced.
Away from broadcasting, O’Leary is married to TV and film producer Dee Koppang, whom he met in 2002. The couple became engaged in 2011 and married the following year at Chiddingstone Castle in Kent, with guests including James Corden and Chris O’Dowd. Koppang, born in Oslo, moved to the UK as a child and has gone on to work on major productions including The Crown, Bridgerton, The Split and Rivals. The pair live in Primrose Hill, north London, and have one child, Kasper, born in June 2020.
Last year, O’Leary also opened up about a painful health issue he had been dealing with, revealing on This Morning that he had been suffering from temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, disorder. The condition affects the jaw joint and surrounding muscles and can cause clicking, restricted movement and pain that spreads to the face, neck and shoulders. O’Leary said he initially ignored the symptoms before eventually seeking medical advice and being referred to a physiotherapist. He described the pain as severe and said it came on suddenly while eating. Despite that setback, he remains a familiar face on British television and a key figure in one of the UK’s biggest annual charity sporting events.
