{"id":64197,"date":"2026-05-10T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T07:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/?p=64197"},"modified":"2026-05-10T11:27:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T07:27:40","slug":"victoria-smurfit-novel-rnib","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/victoria-smurfit-novel-rnib\/","title":{"rendered":"Victoria Smurfit Pivots to Novelist Following RNIB Appointment"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style='background:#f7fafc;padding:15px;'>\n<p><strong>Quick Read<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Victoria Smurfit is writing a 40,000-word debut novel described as a &#8216;dark, funny beach read.&#8217;<\/li>\n<li>The actress has assumed the presidency of the RNIB, a charity focused on supporting the visually impaired.<\/li>\n<li>Smurfit&#8217;s new leadership role is driven by her personal experience with her daughter&#8217;s diagnosis of Stargardt&#8217;s Macular Dystrophy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>DUBLIN (Azat TV) \u2013 Victoria Smurfit has officially expanded her professional portfolio, announcing this week that she is transitioning into the literary world. The 52-year-old actress, currently enjoying renewed acclaim for her performance as Maud O&#8217;Hara in <em>Rivals<\/em>, revealed to <em>You<\/em> magazine that she is in the process of drafting her debut novel.<\/p>\n<h2>A New Creative Chapter for Victoria Smurfit<\/h2>\n<p>Smurfit confirmed that she has already completed 40,000 words of the manuscript, which she describes as a &#8220;dark, funny beach read.&#8221; Drawing inspiration from the work of authors like Dame Jilly Cooper, the actress noted that the project serves as a creative outlet for her &#8220;crazy ideas.&#8221; This pivot into authorship marks a significant shift for the performer, who has spent decades building a career in television and film, including notable roles in <em>Ballykissangel<\/em> and <em>Once Upon A Time<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h2>The Stakes of the RNIB Presidency<\/h2>\n<p>The announcement of her literary career coincides with a major milestone in her public service work. Smurfit has recently been appointed President of the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), succeeding Dame Gail Ronson, who held the role for 14 years. The position holds deep personal significance for Smurfit, whose daughter, Evie, was diagnosed with Stargardt&#8217;s Macular Dystrophy during childhood. Smurfit has long been an outspoken advocate for the visually impaired, and her leadership role at the RNIB is expected to amplify her long-standing commitment to the organization.<\/p>\n<h2>Balancing Acting, Writing, and Advocacy<\/h2>\n<p>While Smurfit remains active in the entertainment industry, the dual announcement highlights a deliberate effort to diversify her influence. By taking on the presidency of a major national charity while simultaneously committing to a long-form writing project, Smurfit is positioning herself as a multi-hyphenate figure capable of balancing high-profile advocacy with creative authorship. Her ability to synthesize personal experience with professional ambition remains the driving force behind this latest career expansion.<\/p>\n<p><em>The strategic convergence of a high-profile charity presidency and a pivot toward creative writing suggests that Smurfit is leveraging her current industry visibility to solidify her public identity beyond acting, transitioning from a performer-for-hire to a platform-driven creative and advocate.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Actress Victoria Smurfit has announced she is writing her debut novel, a &#8216;dark, funny beach read,&#8217; while simultaneously stepping into her new role as President of the RNIB.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":-1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"googlesitekit_rrm_CAow5Nm1DA:productID":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1480],"tags":[18979,20628,55860,55859],"class_list":["post-64197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-acting","tag-books","tag-rnib","tag-victoria-smurfit"],"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/victoria-smurfit-royal-ascot.jpg","_embedded":{"wp:featuredmedia":[{"id":-1,"source_url":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/victoria-smurfit-royal-ascot.jpg","media_type":"image","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64197"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64200,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64197\/revisions\/64200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}