Brian Dowling and Arthur Gourounlian set to make history as first gay couple to host chat show in Ireland

DOUBLE ACT Brian Dowling and husband Arthur Gourounlian are set to become Ireland’s answer to Richard and Judy as they team up to host Virgin Media’s Six O’Clock Show after Katja Mia’s departure.

The iconic duo, who have been married for a decade, will be making history as Ireland’s first ever gay couple to host a chat show.

After over three years with the station, Katja bid farewell to the Virgin Media TV crew and left her cushy spot on the Six O’Clock Show last month.

It’s yet to be decided who will be replacing the Dublin beauty and a host of celebrity guests have been filling in to host with Brian since her exit.

Brian spoke to The Irish Sun last Saturday at the Platinum VIP Style Awards and let it slip that his hubby will be “coming on board” to “do some shows” this summer.

And while Arthur attempted to conceal the details stating they “don’t know when yet”, Brian didn’t hold back and revealed: “We do know, we have the dates.”

Arthur grinned from ear-to-ear and said: “I love live TV, especially with dancing and everything – I thrive on it. So I’m looking forward to it.

“We’ve done so many things together but we never hosted a TV show together so you never know what could happen.”

Their good pal Darren Kennedy, who often appears as a guest host beside Brian, jumped into the conversation and said: “I forgot that. I feel like a thorn between two roses.”

Brian added: “I think I’m working on one of the gayest shows on television!”

Darren then praised the station saying: “It is the gayest show on television so cheers to that. It’s representation and I wish that when I was a 14-year-old boy turning on my TV that I saw two gay men just being themselves.”

The Dubliner then stated that there’s never been a gay couple to host a chat show in Ireland, the UK or America – which got Arthur even more excited for the venture.

The dad-of-two shouted out: “Okay, sign me up!”

Brian, who has suffered years of abuse online, has been working on a new series, Toxic Threads, which investigates the dark and destructive culture of cyber abuse.

The 46-year-old even put a call out for online trolls to meet him “face-to-face” and have an “open discussion”.

Speaking about the documentary, the Kildare native said: “I have cried more than I thought I was going to on that show. 

“I’m very sometimes unaware of what’s been said about me online or what’s been done and then when you confront that and you read all of that s*** that’s totally not true, it can hurt a little bit.

“I had to kind of read some stuff that I was unaware of and I was like, ‘Wow, okay’. And what it’s saying to people is that I don’t think you need to be on a public platform to be trolled or harassed or abused or bullied.

“So, it’s kind of looking into that — the dark side of what we do and what’s acceptable and what’s not acceptable and then what can you do about those situations.”

Arthur, who also features in the show, added: “It’s a taboo conversation. Nobody talks about it but people get it from left, right and centre. I can’t wait to see the documentary.

“I’m very proud of him [Brian]. It wasn’t easy for him.”

Brian then revealed that he’s “nearly done” filming and is set to air on Virgin Media One in “late summer”.