Anna Williamson has spoken about the world of dating as we come out of a pandemic, which has left many "rusty" and "jaded" when it comes to relationships.
The 40-year-old Celebs Go Dating host has given her advice for those looking for love now that life is slowly getting back to where we were before 2020.
The TV presenter and relationship expert has also revealed that the news of a celebrity break-up can bring some excitement for the Channel 4 team, as they eye up the prospect of new singletons for their popular show.
Speaking to The Mirror, Anna revealed that the celebrities on the Channel 4 dating show were partly an inspiration for her new book, Where Is The Love?.
Anna said: "One of the biggest inspirations for writing Where is the love? was a result of working on Celebs Go Dating for a number of years.
"I’m, giving a lot of the advice that I give the celebrities and it felt important to me that to give that advice to everybody."
Anna added: "Lots of us can experience challenges in the world of dating and relationships and it felt really important to put down in writing some of that advice in book form for people to tap into as and when they need it with their own love lives."
Working with celebrities is no different to working with a non-celeb, says Anna, and she said that one of the ways she has hit it off with the celebs on the show.
Anna said: "I treat everybody as the same and I think anybody who thinks they’re different or better or worse because they are in the public eye, the first thing I say is ‘no, you’re a human being, you are as you are’.
"With celebrities they tend to come with an extra layer if complexity which being well known can throw up and they are often concerned about people having preconceptions about them but actually, very quickly when you are working with celebrities, you find they are ordinary folk, a regular person asking for help with their lives.
"And it is lovely, in particularly when on celebs go dating that they really understand that they are human.
"Paul and I just treat them like that and do our very best to help them and it is lovely when they actually take that on board and think, actually these guys do want to help and they are the real deal - it is a lovely part of my job."
Speaking about dating in general, Anna said that the pandemic has had a huge effect on how people approach looking for love in current times.
She said: "Since the pandemic, I think people have become quite fatigued and jaded and ultimately cautious when it comes to dating - we all got a bit rusty with our skills, particularly in the world of dating.
"A lot of people are only just getting their confidence back or are trying to work on their confidence and working out what they might want from the dating scene.
"I often say to people, get your intentions in place as otherwise it can be quite overwhelming with a lot of choice out there online and it is really about honing in on what you want and why you want it with your love life in order to actually obtain it otherwise the choice is too overwhelming."
Anna pointed out that the lockdowns had a devastating on previously stable relationships.
She continued: "We are definitely seeing an awful lot of relationships that didn’t stand the test of time due to the pandemic as couples were together a lot more and divorce rates soared, so I think we are in a time where we really need to shine the spotlight inwards a bit and do some self-care and self-love on ourselves and in our relationships as they are important.
"The pandemic was a really good test of how much people have been valuing each other in the sense that the people that have managed to weather the storm have realised how much a loved one means to them.
"I think that’s what we have experienced and during the pandemic we have realised how important our relationships are to us and I am seeing a lot of people prioritising that across the board now, as they realise how important those people are as we only really had each other.
"Obviously some people haven’t stood the test of time while others have absolutely thrived."
Celebs Go Dating has proved to be a big hit for Channel 4 and Anna admitted that she gets a bit of a buzz when she sees a celebrity couple goes down the pan.
Anna revealed: "I know it sounds awful but I do think that sometimes when I see a celebrity who has unfortunately seen themselves single again - or they might actually be pleased with that - and I do make a mental note that I will mention that to the team.
"I would love to see Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, on the show, I think she would be amazing, she’s top of my list at the moment."
Anna added that there was only one way to be with other people and has found that has led to her being a success with her career and with the show.
She said: "I think it is really important to be honest and authentic and I think that I always am with my work, I don’t know any other way of being, so there are elements of relationships that I have been in that I can draw on as well as experiences I have had found when talking to people as a professional coach.
"I feel that we are all in this together."
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