Michelle Rocca

{{Short description|Irish model and television presenter}} {{EngvarB|date=October 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}} {{Infobox pageant titleholder | name = Michelle Rocca | image = Michelle Rocca in Belfast (cropped).jpg | caption = | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1961}} | birth_name = Michelle Mary Teresa Rocca | title = [[Miss Ireland]] 1980 | nationalcompetition = [[Miss Ireland]] 1980 (Winner) [[Miss International 1981]] (2nd runner-up) [[Miss World 1980]] (Unplaced) | birth_place = [[Dublin]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] | height = | weight = | eye_color = | hair_color = | spouse = | children = 5 }}

'''Michelle Mary Teresa Rocca''' (born 1961) is an Irish TV host, former model and beauty pageant titleholder who won [[Miss Ireland]] 1980. The following year, she married footballer [[John Devine (footballer, born 1958)|John Devine]]. Two years after their divorce in 1990 she met and later married, Northern Irish singer [[Van Morrison]].<ref name=Aug2006>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/news-gossip/bundle-of-joy-thrills-van-and-michelle-133797.html|title=Bundle of joy thrills Van and Michelle|date=20 August 2006|access-date=14 October 2017|publisher=independent.ie|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014184102/http://www.independent.ie/woman/celeb-news/bundle-of-joy-thrills-van-and-michelle-26415514.html|archive-date=14 October 2017}}</ref><ref name=Feb1999>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/unsorted/features/the-passionate-intensity-of-mismatched-lovers-517979.html|title=The passionate intensity of mismatched lovers|date= 28 February 1999|access-date=14 October 2017|publisher=independent.ie|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014184104/http://www.independent.ie/unsorted/features/the-passionate-intensity-of-mismatched-lovers-26258328.html|archive-date=14 October 2017}}</ref>

==Career== Rocca grew up in a large family with two brothers and three sisters. Rocca attended [[University College Dublin]] studying [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] and [[History of Rome|Roman Civilization]], as well as Italian and French [[Archaeology]]. She is fluent in several languages and has earned an [[Master of Arts|MA]] degree from [[Trinity College, Dublin|Trinity College]] in Dublin and also a degree from [[Bristol University]].

She was named [[Miss Ireland]] in 1980<ref name="Rogan, No Surrender, p.407">Rogan, No Surrender, p. 407</ref> and was the number 3 finalist in the [[Miss International 1981]] pageant. She worked in the family business and also modeled until she joined [[RTÉ]] in 1987 as a television presenter. In 1988, she co-hosted the [[Eurovision Song Contest 1988]] with [[Pat Kenny]] in front of a worldwide audience of 600 million viewers.<ref name="Eurovision">{{cite web|url=http://www.eurovision.tv/page/news?id=29243|title=23 years ago today - Céline Dion wins for Switzerland|publisher=Eurovision|access-date=19 November 2013}}</ref> She continued to model, with occasional presenting jobs, such as the [[Miss World 1990]] contest in London.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}

Rocca later became a psychology and motivational teacher with a master's degree in [[philosophy]] and [[English language|English]].<ref name=Sep2013>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/woman/fashion/shes-back-in-fashion-as-michelle-rocca-steps-out-with-daughter-29576518.html|access-date=14 October 2017|date=13 September 2013|title=She's back in fashion, as Michelle Rocca steps out with daughter|publisher=independent.ie }}</ref>

==Personal life== Rocca is the daughter of Paddy and Maureen Rocca, and granddaughter of Italian immigrant Egidio Rocca.

Rocca began dating [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] and [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Irish]] International [[Association football|footballer]] [[John Devine (footballer, born 1958)|John Devine]] when she was 17 and they were married in 1981 and lived in England. The couple had two daughters. They separated in 1987 and she returned to Dublin with the children.<ref name="Rogan, No Surrender, p.407"/> They divorced in 1990. She was engaged to Cathal Ryan, son of multi-millionaire [[Tony Ryan]] who co-founded [[Ryanair]] and owned [[Guinness Peat Aviation]]. After living together for two years, they separated when Michelle was expecting their child, who was born in April 1991.<ref name="Rogan, No Surrender, p.407"/> Upon Cathal Ryan's death in December 2007 of cancer, Rocca was quoted as saying, "He was a wonderful father to Claudia; he and I had a very good relationship over the past number of years and he will be greatly missed by all of us."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/national-news/ryanair-founders-son-dies-aged-48-1252322.html|title= Founder's son dies aged 48|publisher=independent.ie|access-date=23 January 2008|first=Breda|last=Heffernan|date=21 December 2007}}</ref>

Rocca met Northern Irish singer-songwriter [[Van Morrison]] in the summer of 1992.<ref>Rogan, No Surrender, p. 406</ref> They married in the mid-1990s and divorced on 24 March 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vanmorrison.com/news/2018/van-morrison-statement|title=Official Statement|last=Eyekiller|date=25 April 2018|website=Van Morrison|access-date=25 April 2018}}</ref> They have two children, Aibhe and Fionn Ivan.<ref name=Sep2013/> She was the second woman to appear on one of Morrison's album covers—1995's ''[[Days Like This (Van Morrison album)|Days Like This]]''. The first was Morrison's first wife Janet "Planet" Rigsbee, who appeared on the cover of 1971's ''[[Tupelo Honey]]''. Rocca also appeared on the cover of the October 1994 tribute album, ''[[No Prima Donna: The Songs of Van Morrison]]''.

Rocca has five children.<ref name=Aug2006/>

==See also== *[[List of Eurovision Song Contest presenters]]

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Sources== *Rogan, Johnny (2006): ''Van Morrison : No Surrender'', London:Vintage Books {{ISBN|978-0-09-943183-1}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080712212729/http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/1999/08/30/opinion_222.htm Where Are They Now?], ''Irish Examiner'', 30 August 1999

==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20010530201828/http://www.bpfallon.com/article_van2.html BP Fallon: Van and Michelle in New Orleans, 1996] *[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0733617/bio Michelle Rocca @ IMDb]

{{s-start}} {{s-ach}} {{s-bef|before={{flagicon|AUT}} Karin Zorn}} {{s-ttl|title=Miss World - Photogenic |years=[[Miss World 1980#Special awards|1980]]}} {{s-aft|after={{flagicon|AUS}} [[Melissa Hannan]]}} {{succession box | before = Maura McMenamim | title = [[Miss Ireland]] | years = 1980 | after = Geraldine Mary McGrory }} {{s-media}} {{succession box | before = {{flagicon|BEL}} [[Viktor Lazlo]] | title = [[Eurovision Song Contest]] presenter | years = (with [[Pat Kenny]]) [[Eurovision Song Contest 1988|1988]] | after = {{flagicon|SUI}} [[Jacques Deschenaux]] and [[Lolita Morena]] }} {{succession box | before = [[Ronan Collins]] | title = [[Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest|Eurovision Song Contest Ireland]] commentator | years = (with [[Ronan Collins]]) [[Eurovision Song Contest 1989|1989]] | after = [[Jimmy Greeley]] and [[Clíona Ní Bhuachalla]]}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rocca, Michelle}} [[Category:1961 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Television personalities from Dublin (city)]] [[Category:Irish socialites]] [[Category:Irish people of Italian descent]] [[Category:Van Morrison]] [[Category:Miss Ireland winners]] [[Category:Alumni of Trinity College Dublin]] [[Category:Alumni of the University of Bristol]] [[Category:Miss World 1980 delegates]] [[Category:Miss International 1981 delegates]] [[Category:RTÉ television presenters]] [[Category:Beauty pageant contestants from Dublin (city)]]