Rebecca Tallon de Havilland | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rebecca Tallon 6 June 1958 Granard, County Longford, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Occupation(s) | Hairdresser, makeup artist, activist, television presenter |
| Known for | First Irish trans woman to host a television series; HIV/AIDS activism |
| Notable work | His Name is Rebecca (2010) |
Rebecca Tallon de Havilland (born 6 June 1958) [1] is an Irish transgender rights and HIV/AIDS activist and television host. In 2024, she presented Second Chances on Virgin Media Television; Irish media described it as the first Irish TV series presented by a trans woman.
Tallon de Havilland was born and spent her early childhood in Granard, County Longford. [1] She moved to Dublin aged seven. She moved to London in her twenties, pursuing a career as a hairdresser and makeup artist. While in London, she came out as a transgender woman. [2] In 1987, when about to undergo gender confirmation surgery, she was diagnosed with HIV, and told she had two years to live. [2] In 1991, while working as a model, she was outed on the front page of an Irish national newspaper, at a time when she had not yet told her family in Ireland of her intention to undergo surgery. [1] She said that articles about her in the Irish press were of a "sexualised Page Three nature". [1] Negative media coverage and the resultant damage to her career contributed to alcohol and drug issues. [1]
In the early 2000s, she became the first transgender woman in Ireland to change the sex marker on her passport. [3] She became sober while living in Belfast in the mid-2000s. [1] She began campaigning in the area of sexual health in the early 2010s, writing for Boyz and working with the Terrence Higgins Trust. [1] [2] Tallon de Havilland moved back to Dublin in 2022. [4] The same year, she led the Pride section of the Dublin Saint Patrick's Day Parade. [5] In 2023, she was a guest on The Tommy Tiernan Show . [6] In 2024, she hosted a television series, Second Chances, for Virgin Media Television, in which she helped participants overcome obstacles relating to addiction, abusive relationships and other issues. [7] It was the first time a TV series in Ireland had been presented by a trans woman. [8]