Roy Keane says he defies expectations when it comes to his daughters introducing their boyfriends. The former Manchester United and Ireland midfielder built a reputation for his hard man approach on the pitch.
Now a familiar face on television, Keane has been a staple of Sky Sports' Premier League coverage for half a decade and also lends his expertise to ITV's football broadcasts, both domestically and internationally.
In addition to his TV roles, Keane co-hosts the Stick to Football podcast, offering fans plenty of insight on his broadcasting endeavours. But unlike his public persona, Keane has consistently maintained a private family life.
He married wife Theresa in 1997 and together the couple have raised five children, including four daughters. Shannon, Caragh, Aidan, Alanna, and Leah are now all adults.
During an appearance on last year, Keane was questioned about the experience of having a predominantly female household. His succinct response, "brilliant", elicited laughter from the audience.
He then elaborated: "No it is, brilliant. Really good kids, they're good, very good kids." Tiernan then asked him what he found to be the hardest part of fatherhood, prompting Keane to screw his face up as he struggled to answer.
After several seconds of silence, Tiernan jokingly cut in: "Are you f***ing kidding me are ya?" To which Keane shook his head and added: "No, they're ok. Listen when they get a bit older, I suppose boyfriends and that type of carry on, yeah that can be (shrugs)."
Tiernan quipped about Keane's tough image, joking: "I'd say it'd be fairly intimidating meeting you now in all fairness. Clint Eastwood in the kitchen."
However, Keane downplayed his intimidating persona, telling the audience: "You'd be very surprised. Surely that's the same for everybody."
Despite Keane's assurances, Tiernan remained sceptical, remarking: "You're so guarded. Maybe you're just so calm and settled and strong."
"No, quite relaxed yeah. Do you want me to do a somersault or something? Very relaxed, nice drive up, we're good," Keane hit back.
Insights into Keane's life away from football remain few and far between. But he'll likely be back on punditry duties later today as United host Tottenham on Super Sunday.
