Irish TikTok star turns down The Voice Australia TV show and gives good reason

Irish TikTok sensation Shane Gallagher, aka The Digger Dad, has revealed he turned down a huge TV show in Australia because it "might hold him back" from other opportunities. 

The Offaly native has almost 200,000 followers on TikTok and has become somewhat of a star by performing witty sketches and singing from his digger in Australia.

Shane now lives in Brisbane with his Australian wife and their son but has a huge following back home in Ireland thanks to his feelgood channel. 

Given his popularity and talent, Shane has revealed that the producers of The Voice Australia talent show approached him to audition but after going through a number of rounds and being handed the chance to appear on the TV show itself, he turned it down.

Shane took to his digger and his TikTok channel to explain his reasons for turning down something he admits was a huge opportunity for him.

"Yis will probably think I'm mental," the Daingean man admitted as he told followers of his decision. Explaining further, he said: "Back when the social media stuff started to take off and every man and his uncle was watching me on the internet, The Voice Australia reached out and obviously said they like what I do, they deem me to be very talented, very funny, very relatable and very likable. They said they'd be happy if I'd come on and have a go at doing the show."

"At the time I thought, 'God, this is class,'" Shane said as he explained how he went through a few stages of the process.

"I jumped at the bit and I was in that frame of mind that I was willing to whatever to try and break out of driving machines and get into the music industry," he added.

"It's to the point now they've offered me the chance to get up on the telly part and have the chairs spin around," he added.

"I've decided to withdraw and not actually go ahead with it," he said as he told followers who may think he's made a huge mistake to "settle down."

He said: "You have to look at the bigger picture. Going forward with the Voice, I have to sign a contract to say I'm not going to do this, that and the other which is going to hold me in place for a while.

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"I've got stuff coming up with Fieldsy, Paddy's weekend in Sydney and Melbourne and I also feel a lot more stuff is going to come my way; once I get going, lads, I'm gone.

"I've been in talks with some significant people, you know people who have worked with the 2 Johnnies, people that are working with Dan McCabe, I've chatted with Dan McCabe myself. There's a lot of talented people back home there that would be happy and willing to work with me when I do decide to fly home.

"I just feel like it [The Voice] is going to hold me back, like from spontaneous stuff I won't be able to do. I've made the decision, you might think I'm mental," he concluded.

Fans and followers were quick to offer their support. One said: "Best decision, you are going places on your own, bigger and better with your own terms on your own time."

Another wrote: "Yes, you are smart and you have done the right thing, they don’t just hold you back; they hold you down for years."