Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick opens up about book that changed his life with Ryan Tubridy

Star of Channel 4 series Supervet and Laois native Noel Fitzpatrick has opened up about finding love and the book that changes his life on Ryan Tubridy's new podcast, the Bookshelf with Ryan Tubridy.

In a personal and in-depth conversation held through the prism of three book choices, Noel shares his favourite childhood book, the book that made him cry and the book that changed his life. He opens up to Ryan about his struggles with reading and writing as a child and the consequent difficulties he had as an easy target for his peers in secondary school.

He also delves into growing up on a farm and explains how Wolverine’s adamantium body has quite a lot to do with his innovative techniques as a vet!

The first and only record Noel owned when he was in secondary school was The Unforgettable Fire by U2 which got him through the teenage struggles he experienced, both academic and personal. So, in quite a full circle moment, the book that changed his life as an adult was Bono’s Surrender, helping him realise how much he would like to find a life partner in the way Bono found one in his relationship with his wife Ali.

Noel tells Ryan: “I want someone to love and accept me with my smelly socks on when I come home from a run!”

When it comes to relationships he says: “I always feel deeply inadequate and in surgery I’ve managed to sublimate that with, I guess, skill and knowledge - but in real life, I am still the 10-year-old who had never seen a girl, the person who feels really awkward around the whole issue of ‘could you get to know me and still allow me to be me and could I make you the best that you can be by being with me?’”

To hear more of Noel’s book choices and for Ryan’s own segment Ryan Recommends, you can listen back to The Bookshelf with Ryan Tubridy, sponsored by Eason, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major audio platforms or watch on YouTube.