Miriam O’Callaghan’s daughter Georgia McGurk has described growing up with seven siblings as something like a scene from ‘Cheaper by the Dozen’ “in the best possible way”.

Miriam has recently reunited with Georgia in Washington DC while she was in the states to cover the US election – Georgia has been working in New York for years and made the trip down to see her mother in action.

Somehow, while building her formidable career, Miriam managed to have eight children – four daughters from her first marriage to Tom McGurk including Alannah, Clara and twins Georgia and Jessica (the twin pregnancy meant she had three children in 11 months). Miriam then went on to have four sons in her second marriage to Steve Carson – Conor, Jack, Daniel and James.

Speaking about her childhood, Georgia said it was chaotic in the best way.

“Look, it took a village,” she told the Irish Independent. “Mum is incredible, but we all helped each other – we had an incredible childminder who now looks after Alannah’s [her sister] kids. Nanny would often help.

“But it was chaos. It was Cheaper By TheDozen in the best possible way. If you’re trying to study for an exam, it’s a nightmare. You’d better run and get the pint of milk out of the fridge because it’s going to be gone.

“We all steal each other’s clothes. But I wouldn’t change it. I’m so grateful for it”.

Georgia was the first one in her family to move out of the country, and she said the distance from her family initially made her question if she wants to pursue a career abroad.

“It’s funny, I always thought I was quite extroverted and then when I moved away to live on my own, I was like, ‘oh, I’m actually quite introverted’.”

“I was the first one to leave home, others had travelled and gone away but I was the first one making it out of the country,” she said.

“I was only in my mid-20s and obviously my career was going well in Ireland, so I was a bit: ‘Why am I doing this?’ But Mum was super supportive of that. She was like: ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’ And that’s how she always is, just so positive.

“Sometimes you just want to have a whinge with her, but she’s always very, ‘everything is going to be fine’.”