When Operation Transformation finished its season just a month ago, things were very different in the world. The usual uplifting stories of the show's leaders losing weight and transforming their mental and physical outlook left us all feeling motivated and ready to take on the New Year.
Very quickly though, everything changed and now the country is dealing with isolation and fear as we all try to flatten the curve and buy some time in the spread of the virus.
With all of that, there's never been a more important time for the Operation Transformation team to be back on the air, and today, RTE have announced that the show will be back in mid-April, styled as "Operation Covid Nation" and will feature four households being filmed with remote cameras and the usual expert advice of fitness expert Karl Henry, dietitian Aoife Hearne, clinical psychologist Dr. Eddie Murphy and medical doctor Dr. Sumi Dunne.
Show presenter Kathryn Thomas spoke to Ray D'Arcy today to explain how the show came about and what it aims are.
It was agreed it was a good idea for people to have a weekly platform where they could stay connected, see what's happening in different households, how different households are coping with the new norm. That's what we're all trying to do. There's no such thing as college and school and work and recreation and transport. Everything has changed for everybody and different households are coping with it in different ways.
What we've tried to do for the last 13 years is on Operation Transformation is help people - yes there was a weight loss element to the show - but really it is about health and wellness for body and mind, and I think now more than ever, as everybody is adapting to these new norms, we need a weekly platform like that, and I think that's what this program wants to be.
The show will choose different kind of households - from young families to house sharing.
If this is something you are interested in participating in, you can go to www.rte.ie/ot and complete an application form.
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