ANNA Nolan and Blathnaid Ni Chofaigh present The Afternoon Show on RTE One every weekday afternoon and have a close friendship.

Blathnaid has always worked in media, having been a reporter for RTE News and Current Affairs, a presenter on Sin E, and partcipant of Inside 252, RTE's radiopresenting reality show for People in Need.

Anna Nolan hit the headlines when she came second in the original series of the popular British reality show, Big Brother.

Anna went on to have a very successful career in British and Irish television, with her work on Ask Anna, Would You Believe, Anna In Wonderland, Closure and Drawing The Line.

Anna (35) is in a happy relationship with her girlfriend, while Irish-speaking Blathnaid (34) is married to Ciaran and has four children, Sile (9), Peadar (5), Comhghal (3) and Darach (2).

Anna on Blathnaid "I first heard of Blathnaid three years ago when I knew I was going to be working with her on a documentary for Would You Believe. She was just back from maternity leave, and I saw the red hair first before I heard her, or saw the rest of her. This woman came into the office and she had a huge amount of energy . . . I didn't speak for the first five minutes while she was talking at me!

We had very much a working relationship at first, but I was very impressed by her professionalism. She also had a really bold streak in her!

Blathnaid has a glint in her eye, and she can be cheeky and filthy and sassy and sexy. She loves going out and loves dancing and then there is also a serious side to her . . . and I liked those two contrasting personality traits.

Our friendship developed into a close one because we were working and going out filming together, and it was a very easy step for us to make to go on to present The Afternoon Show.

There is absolutely no competitive element between us, although some people would like the idea that we would be out for each other's guts. I really don't care about things like if she does four interviews and I only do one. I'd quite easily sit back and let her do what she wants to do, and vice versa . . . we don't ever argue about airtime. Blathnaid is a perfectionist, and she can get a bit upset if things aren't going as well as they should.

She'd look at me and I'd just say, 'Feck it, let it go! Life is too short to be worrying about it.'

We spend a lot of time together in work and we're genuinely great friends. We would often go out together after work.

Blathnaid's best qualities are her unpredictability, being in touch with her emotions and her love of dancing! Her life outside work is completely different to mine, and I love that about her. I was around in her house recently and all of the children were there, and it was like being hit with a wall of noise and energy and running around. When I'm there I slip into child mode, and I'll sit in between the children and get my dinner from Blathnaid!"

Blathnaid on Anna "Like everyone else, I first saw Anna on Big Brother, but I didn't like her on it! I have a gregarious personality, so I'd notice the more outgoing people, and she didn't make an impact on me because she was very quiet. I was working in TV at the time, and there was a lot of interest in her.

The producer was saying, 'Would somebody find out about this lesbian exnun one?'

I first met her in person when I was working with her on Would you Believe. I went over to talk to her and her eyes lit up. I just thought she was somebody new and interesting in my life at first. Other people were more interested in my friendship with her than I was in her profile.

I think Anna is incredible . . . she really is her own person. She's amazingly calm and she listens to my every moan. We feed off each other and it's a yin and yang thing.

When she's dipping in energy, she'll turn to me and say, 'I need you to keep me up!' I don't always filter things and I'm misunderstood a lot. I can say to a researcher or producer, 'Why did you do that? I don't agree, ' which can offend people. I'll turn to Anna and say, 'Why did that person misunderstand what I said there?' because I always gauge that kind of thing with her.

We really have a great laugh together and we have great fun. The crew have often said to us that they'd love to record us before we get on-air because it's hilarious. I love when we're out because Anna has an incredible 'gaydar' too, and she can tell me who is and isn't!

We do clash the odd time, and Anna will always know when I'm annoyed at her because I'll go quiet and look cross . . . I can't hide it. She'll give it a day and then she'll say, 'Are we okay?' and we'll both burst out laughing. I know we'll be friends forever, because when you make friends at our age it's rare that you fall out.

There is no jealousy between us . . . she'd be asked to do certain gigs or interviews that I would be asked to do, and vice versa. I pray with my kids and I love prayers in Irish and hymns. I'm always slagging her about her faith, and I keep telling her that I'll get her faith back and because of me, she'll get back into Heaven!"