They're the stars of the two highest rated dramas on RTÉ. But did you know that bolshie commis chef Charlene McKenna from restaurant drama Raw is dating Aidan Turner from rival show The Clinic?

The Irish acting couple have been an item for a year and are now living together in London.

McKenna told me last week: "We met about a year and a half ago when we were both doing an Irish film together called Porcelain. We've got a place in Camden but it's tough getting the time together as we're both so busy."

That time apart looks set to continue. This week Turner was in Bristol shooting the new BBC series Being Human, while Hollywood could be beckoning Monaghan girl McKenna as she has just read for a lead role in a film playing opposite Nicolas Cage.

"It's about the plague and 14th-century madness. You're not really supposed to say too much unless you've got the part but it will be pretty big if it comes off."

The actress says she doesn't want to get her hopes up after narrowly missing out on another role in a Will Ferrell film.

"The film was called The Land of the Lost. I just sent a tape off and then the next thing I was flying out to meet the director. That was good enough to get me shortlisted but then I heard they'd given the part to Anna Friel," she said.

McKenna, who has had a string of acclaimed roles in dramas including Pure Mule, Single Handed, Whistleblower and Raw, said she would like to keep her head down when it comes to further TV work.

"I'm worried that I might get over-exposed and people will get sick looking at me. I'll be pretty careful about doing any more TV back home because all the stuff I've done so far has been of a certain quality and I don't want to make a mistake on my next part."

Charlene says her biggest delight with Raw is just how few complaints it attracted despite a series of risqué scenes.

"When I found out they had aired that full frontal scene in episode four, I thought fair play. Sex and the City – all this stuff has been on the other channels for years. Now Irish TV is finally catching up."

Perhaps less encouraging, however, are the scenes in Raw where staff get even with customers by sabotaging their food.

"I can tell you the stuff we heard from real chefs doing the show was a lot worse. So bad I couldn't repeat them. It hasn't stopped me going into restaurants though. I like eating out too much."