Jamie-Lee O'Donnell, best known for playing Michelle in the hit comedy series Derry Girls, has revealed that after a period of intense therapy, she made the difficult decision to go no contact with her entire family and move to Barcelona. The 39-year-old actress shared her story on the Dish from Waitrose podcast, where she spoke candidly about the personal struggles that led to her dramatic life change.
A Spontaneous Move to Spain
During the podcast, O'Donnell explained that she decided to move to Barcelona almost on a whim, saying she chose to 'trust the universe' after finishing therapy. 'I was wrapping up therapy back home,' she said, adding with a laugh, 'I finally did some therapy, which I know is pretty big deal for an Irish woman.' The joke landed well with hosts Nick Grimshaw and Angela Harnett.
The actress, who has also starred in shows like Screw and Leonard and Hungry Paul, described the therapy experience as 'great' but admitted it was challenging. 'I just had to figure some stuff out. You know, you kind of get to a certain point of your life or your career or whatever and then you're like: "Oh, that is a problem. I need to figure that out." You know when you're like: "Lah lah lah, it doesn't matter. It won't affect me", then you're like: "It's affecting every single thing I do." So, I did therapy which was pretty intense. It's been really tough, to be honest.'
Cutting Ties with Family
After completing therapy, O'Donnell felt it was time for a fresh start. She sold her house and moved to mainland Europe. 'I've always been hyper independent and if I wanted to do something I'd done my research and then just did it,' she explained.
When asked about visiting family in Ireland, O'Donnell revealed the extent of her personal transformation. 'Well, that's part of the therapy; I had to go no contact with my entire family. It's just one of those things, and the more I've talked about it and been honest about it, I've seen it's not the most unusual thing for adults, and it's just the way it is,' she shared. She concluded that 'Barcelona was the perfect place for a new start'.
Previous Comments on Therapy
This is not the first time O'Donnell has spoken about her therapy journey. In an interview with Hotpress in December last year, she said: 'I was doing therapy for a while back home, trying to unpack a lot of stuff from my childhood. It was sort of running after me for a while – like, I suppose, a lot of people. It was a few years, trying to figure it all out, and come to terms with everything. I finally felt like this year was the time to put it to bed for now, and start looking forward.'
O'Donnell is set to appear in Rebel Wilson's new film Girl Group, and her move to Barcelona marks a new chapter in both her personal and professional life. Metro has reached out to her representatives for further comment.
