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Deirdre Saravia

Deirdre Saravia

Cultural Content Producer

diedre@tpr.org

Deirdre as born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and her first paid work was at the age of 10 with the BBC as an actress on "Children's Hour." She continued to perform regularly on radio and stage for the next eight years, at which point she was informed by her parents that theater was not an option and she needed "real" work.

So Deirdre left the flashy life of entertainment and trained as a registered nurse in Ireland, continuing to London. Her nursing experiences allowed her to travel and work abroad in Europe and Africa, and while working in London for British Petroleum, she met her husband, Dr. Jorge Saravia. They moved to Mexico City where she managed his private practice while learning Spanish.

During her time in Mexico City, she worked as an extra on the movie "Lucky Lady," starring Gene Hackman, Liza Minelli and Burt Reynolds. You can see her fox-trotting in a night club scene, but you have to watch very closely.

After the Saravia family moved to San Antonio, Deirdre volunteered at KRTU 91.7 FM and hosted a World Music program while continuing to work in nursing at Santa Rosa Children's Hospital and University hospital.

Deirdre joined TPR serendipitously, when one evening Thistle and Shamrock failed to air on KSTX. Having just produced an Irish music show for KRTU, she quickly gathered her gear and substituted for Fiona Richie.

Deirdre produces World Music with Deirdre Saravia, which airs Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. on KSTX.