Doreen Dowdall

Doreen Dowdall is known for her relationship with a famous Hollywood Actor, Brendan O'Carroll. She is his ex-wife. Her ex-husband, Brendan Carroll is an actor from Ireland who is renowned for the hit BBC show Mrs. Brown Boys.

Doreen shares the Irish connection with Brendan. Fun fact, Dowdall was born in Finglas, County Dublin, Ireland, in 1955. But Dowdall came to fame after she married her now ex-husband. Following her separation from Brendan, the celebrity ex-wife opted to stay away from the spotlight.

Who is Doreen Dowdall's Ex-husband, Brendan O'Carroll?

Brendan O'Carroll is an Irish Actor and Writer. O'Carroll is best known for the BAFTA award-winning TV Show Mrs. Brown's Boys. Brendan plays the role of Agnes Brown in the show.

The actor and ex-husband of Doreen is from Dublin, Ireland. So it shouldn't be surprising that his humor might appear offensive to some. 

Brendan has addressed the criticisms by saying humor is subjective and will never appeal to everyone. He believes there is always someone offended by your joke. One of his famous quotes is:

Anyone who thinks they can write the perfect comedy that everyone will love is a fool. I can only write what I think is funny and hope that there is a likeminded audience out there.

O'Carroll has been honored with several awards during his long career span. The show Mrs. Brown's Boys is his most enormous success and has been honored by numerous awards organizations such as the Royal Television Society, IFTA, and the BAFTAs.

Doreen Dowdall Had Four Children with Brendan O'Carroll

Things between Doreen Dowdall and Brendan O'Carroll ended sourly. But for most of their two decades of marriage lived with love and joy. Doreen gave birth to four children in their 22 years of being together.

Brendan O'Carroll II, Danny O'Carroll, Eric O'Carroll, and Fiona O'Carroll are their children. Interestingly, Brendan has worked with his kids Danny and Fiona in his hit TV show Mrs. Brown's Boys.

How Doreen Dowdall Met Brendan O'Carroll?

Many people have been curious for the longest time about the relationship between Brendan O'Carroll and Doreen Dowdall and wanted to know more about their relationship.

Their prayers were answered when Brendan released his biography titled "The Real Mrs. Brown: The Authorised Biography of Brendan O'Carroll". The book gave us a bit of a scoop into how he met his first wife, Doreen Dowdall. 

The book revealed that they first encountered each other in Dublin in a club. Brendan experienced something similar to Olivia Colman, as it was love at first sight for him. Brendan said.

I knew then I wanted her to be my girlfriend. She was just so special.

What Caused the Divorce Between Doreen Dowdall and Brendan O'Carroll?

Doreen Dowdall and Brendan O'Carroll hit off as soon as they met. They started seeing each other and eventually got married as well. The couple tied the knot in 1975.

Unfortunately, their marriage didn't have the fairy tale story they would have hoped. After staying committed to each other for 22 years, the couple decided to part ways in 1999.

Brendan has publicly apologized for his mistakes in the marriage, saying he shouldn't have been arrogant and selfish.

I thought, 'Well, I can't leave because if I do she will fall apart,' which was terribly selfish and arrogant of me.

Brendan has moved on from Doreen with his current wife, Jennifer Gibney, whom he married in 2005 and has been going strong since. On the other hand, Doreen disappeared from the limelight following her divorce from Brendan, and her current status is unknown.

Brendan O'Carroll II: Doreen Dowdall's Late Son 

Doreen Dowdall went through a rough period after the birth of her first child with Brendan O'Carroll. Brendan O'Carroll II, Dowdall's baby was given the father's name. Sadly Junior was taken away from them when he was not even a month old.

Brendan II was born in 1979. He tragically passed away within his birth month. Brendan II had complications since he was born due to Spina Bifida. Unfortunately, unlike Laryssa Farmiga, their son couldn't make it. Spina Bifida occurs in newborns because the spine and spinal cord fail to form correctly.

The death shattered the family. Both chose to stay away from the media and hoped they would respect their privacy during this challenging time. Brendan much later talked openly about the death of his son and how it broke him completely.

Brendan also believes in the concept of an afterlife. He is filled with hope that he will meet his son someday. 

Doreen Dowdall's Children Are Actors Too

Of the three children, Doreen shares with Brendan, two of them (Danny O'Carrolll and Fiona O'Carroll) decided to follow in their father's footsteps and enter the world of acting. Both of them have been doing well for themselves.

Danny O'Carroll was born on October 15, 1983. After dropping out of school at age 15 due to severe dyslexia, he decided to work along the same lines as his father and has seen some success in the acting field.

Fiona Helen O'Carroll, an actress and producer, was born on September 14, 1980. She did her education in a similar field with a degree in film and production at DLIAT. However, she gained success before movies at just the age of 10 with her song Bitten By the Bug, which became a huge hit.

Both of their most considerable success in acting has come with their father. They both shared a screen with Brendan on his popular and long-running show Mrs. Brown Boys.

Doreen Dowdall's Ex-husband Is A Millionaire

Doreen Dowdall decided to live a private life after ending her relationship with Brendan. Her whereabouts are a secret. Even while married to Brendan, her occupation (If she had one) remains unknown.

Brendan O'Carroll, however, is an accomplished writer and an actor. He has made a fortune as a comedian. With all the success, it shouldn't come as a shock that the actor's estimated net worth is around $10.1 million.

He also received royalty fees for the book of his biography. The amount only added to his already staggering wealth.  

His hit show Mrs. Brown's Boys also got a movie adaptation. The film wasn't well received among the critics, but it was a commercial success. The movie's total collection was more than $31 million. The share Brendan received remains undisclosed.

Divorce Helped Shape Doreen Dowdall's Daughter

Fiona O'Carroll believes that her parent's divorce left a scar on her heart that seems like it won't ever leave her. Doreen and Brendan were in a marriage that lasted for 22 years before calling it quits.

Fiona was young when her parents divorced. Their divorce was public, and she was hurt as she witnessed her family fall apart.

She told herself she wouldn't let her kids go through the same thing as she did. Her parents' split shaped her to become a better person. Fiona, who divorced her husband, Martin, said that how she suffered as a kid was why she hung on to her marriage for so long. She said

For me, as a child, coming from a broken marriage, I didn’t want that for my kids.

Doreen Dowdall Is Absent From Social Media

Doreen Dowdall stepped away from fame after the divorce from her ex-husband, Brendan. She continues to live a secret life even today. She is on Instagram (@doreen.dowdall), but her account is private, so only her family, relatives, and close friends can follow her.

But her son and daughter, actor Danny O'Carroll and actress Fiona O'Carroll are active on the platform and regularly update their Twitter and Instagram followers.

Sadly, you will hardly find any posts related to Doreen on her Son Danny's Instagram handle @dannyocarroll, as well as on her daughter Fiona's Instagram handle @fiona0carroll.

Her Children are also on Twitter. You can find Danny on his Twitter handle @BbMrsbrownsboys and Fiona on her Twitter handle @OCarrollFiona.

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