Joanna Donnelly withdraws from Presidential election

Ellen O'Donoghue

Joanna Donnelly, former weather presenter and author, has announced she is withdrawing from the presidential election.

In a statement posted on Instagram accompanied by a reel, Ms Donnelly said she would like to "thank everybody for their comments of support and encouragement.

"Since Tuesday I have come to understand through conversations with people with vastly more experience in this type of campaign that I am unprepared for such an undertaking," she said.

"While I still believe that I have the qualities that would make me a good uachtarán na hÉireann, I was naive to think I could meet the challenges of the campaign.

"Therefore, at this stage, I’ve decided it’s best to withdraw my request for nominations."

Ms Donnelly said previously that she had emailed all the local authorities in a bid to secure a nomination before midnight on Monday.

She said she wanted to be a voice to champion climate causes from Áras an Uachtaráin.

Earlier this year, Ms Donnelly announced that she would not longer be preparing and presenting weather forecasts on RTÉ after two decades.

She also left Met Éireann, citing chronic stress she claimed she experienced because of her work conditions.

The Presidential election will take place on Friday October 24th.