Rose of Tralee co-host Kathryn Thomas will emulate 1990s television personality Paula Yates by broadcasting from a hotel bed during this week's festival. Thomas, who will co-host the annual event with Dáithí Ó Sé, plans to bring a playful and "cheeky" element to her coverage.

Thomas, who also presents a daily breakfast show on Q102, will broadcast her radio program from her hotel room in the Meadowlands hotel in Tralee on Monday and Tuesday mornings. She described the setup as channeling Yates's famous "on the bed" interviews from the Channel 4 show "The Big Breakfast." "So it’s me in my dressing gown, Dáithí getting into bed with me, the Roses getting into bed with me. So it’s all a bit Paula Yates," Thomas told the Irish Mail on Sunday.

In addition to the "on the bed" broadcasts, Thomas intends to provide listeners with an "inside track and the gossip" from the festival. She noted that the group of Roses this year is particularly cohesive, describing them as a "real gang" with "a lot of shouting and singing and slagging." "There was a lot of slagging of me, a lot of slagging of Dáithí, which of course we love, and there just seems to be a good old craic vibe with this gang," she added.

Thomas clarified that despite the lively atmosphere among contestants, she has not witnessed any significant behind-the-scenes drama, such as tears or unrequited romantic entanglements. "I wish there was a bit more drama from that perspective, but no, nothing that I can put my finger on, honestly," she said.

This year marks the first time Thomas will bring her daughters, aged four and eight, to the festival, although they will watch the event on television. She plans to wait until they are both old enough to sit through the broadcast together next year. The family will spend the remainder of the week with Thomas's mother in Kenmare.

Thomas, who also hosts the podcast "Are We There Yet?" and runs fitness retreats, has maintained a freelance career since she was 19. She expressed pride in her daughters and stated she would encourage them to enter the Rose of Tralee competition. "Anything that instills confidence and supports women, I’m all about it, and that’s exactly what the Rose of Tralee does," she remarked.

The Rose of Tralee airs on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Monday and Tuesday evenings starting at 8 p.m.