Brian O'Driscoll and Michaela Morley melt RTE viewers' hearts after ...
BRIAN O'DRISCOLL and Michaela Morley first melted the hearts of fans with an adorable photo back in 2011.
The duo have kept in contact since then and tonight appeared together on The Late Late Show to chat with Patrick Kielty.
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O'Driscoll and Michaela first met when the Ireland legend brought the European Cup to Temple Street after Leinster's 2011 success.
Michaela was just six-years-old at the time and was in the hospital for dialysis treatment.
Now, while getting a day off school in the lead up to her Leaving Cert, Michaela has explained the origin of their iconic photo together.
She said: "I remember a bit of it. I remember himself (O'Driscoll) and a few more of the Leinster rugby team coming in and they had the Heineken trophy with them.
"They came up to the dialysis ward and I just happened to be getting the treatment that day.
"So they came in and they were going around to all the kids and when it came to my turn - they were giving all the other kids a challenge of throwing a small ball into the trophy.
"So when it came to my turn, I managed to get it in actually and it just happened to get captured on camera then."
O'Driscoll had a cut on his right eye in the photo and while it seemed obvious it had happened during the final, the Leinster icon revealed he aggravated it with a moment of butter-fingers.
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He laughed: "I got cut in the game and then the night after we were celebrating in - I don't know if people have heard of Copper Face Jacks!
"Yeah, the trophy was being thrown around the dancefloor and it got lobbed in my direction and I had bad hands and it whacked me and opened my cut up again.
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"So yeah a little trickle of blood, a quick glance over and 'wa-hey' we were off again!"
While the photo is a joyous one, it was taken during a difficult time in young Michaela's life.
Michaela explained: "I was in for dialysis treatment because my kidneys weren't functioning properly and I needed to be on dialysis.
"So it basically filters your blood and then it gets put back into you and you're on the treatment for about 3-4 hours depending on your weight.
"Then you get sent home and then you're in three times a week."
LIFE CHANGINGMichaela was on dialysis as she waited for a transplant which she revealed happened the following the year.
The Mayo native went on to explain how her life was flipped upside down by the transplant.
She added: "Oh it has changed tremendously, like beforehand my health was so bad, my appetite was very bad like I wasn't eating anything.
"I was fed up until the transplant and I was just up and down three times a week from Mayo, you know it's not an easy journey for anyone to make - we didn't have the good road we have now!"
O'Driscoll and Michaela kept their friendship over the years and the ex-Ireland star has made a strong plea to people to get in favour of organ donation.
IMPORTANT TALKHe said: "I've been lucky enough to be an ambassador for Temple Street Children's Hospital and there's four hospitals now morphed into the Children's Health Foundation.
"Eventually we'll have a Children's Hospital for all patients around the country to be able to take advantage of.
"Over the years, we've opened the new renal ward in Temple Street, we've been on Zooms together - just talking about how brilliant Temple Street is.
"I know now Michaela's moved on and she's in Beaumont and they're doing a phenomenal job looking after her with check ups and whatnot.
"I guess the one message that I would like to speak about is it's Organ Donor Awareness Week this week and I don't know if you would have read last week the launch of it.
"Marie Keeley and her husband Dennis lost their beautiful Hannah but in their darkest hour they managed to save four other lives.
"What an incredible gift to be able to do.
"So to offer that to other families, to not feel their pain and so I suppose the biggest thing is to having an organ donor app on your phone.
"Or speaking to your loved ones and let them know that you want that.
"I know I've had that conversation with my wife to make sure if the unthinkable happens that you are offering life to other people and beautiful Hannah is living in four other people around Ireland - which is an amazing thing for them to have gifted."
