The host of First Dates Fred Sirieix has revealed how he “spices” up his love life by leaving romantic notes around the house for his fiancee.
The Celebrity Gogglebox star - who was with his former partner, Alex, for 12 years and had two children, Andrea and Lucien, and became engaged in March 2020 - realizes now how important it is to keep the spark alive.
Speaking about his girlfriend, who he affectionately refers to as Fruitcake on social media, he said: “I love to leave love notes around the house, sometimes in the fridge as well. I do it before Fruitcake goes to work and I will put a note on her yoghurt. I love that.
“But you can’t do it every day otherwise it becomes normal but every now and then, it’s great to spice things up and then it gets exciting.
“You see the other person get that smile and shiny eyes.
"I think we all think that we are romantic but I could be more romantic and loving. I don't think I do enough.
“It’s important to be the first person and on the front foot to send a nice text and to say 'Hope you are well my love. Love you.'
“Just little things that are not expected and it’s nice because it makes the other person feel wanted and that somebody else has got your back."
The couple - who joined Channel 4's Gogglebox last year - have kept viewers entertained with their banter and whenever Fred is away filming, he can’t wait to return home to Fruitcake.
He said, “I love to go traveling but I love to come back home. It’s great meeting people and being on the road but I can’t wait to get home and be back on the sofa with Fruitcake.
“We do have a real following on Celebrity Gogglebox and people are always asking when we are coming back on. It’s so much fun.
“I love having a conversation with Fruitcake. She's very funny and makes me laugh out loud.
“We watch TV, have conversations and we take the mickey out of each other. We basically do what we normally do, so therefore, it's easy.
“It's not like you're going to work or anything. We'll just sit down and watch telly and talk crap like we do.
“We really enjoyed doing the last series together and if we can make the time then we will do it again. We haven't discussed going back on it yet. But we will do it further down the line.”
Until a few days ago, Fred was under the impression that he would be returning to film Gordon, Gino and Fred: Road Trip with his two co-stars.
But with the news that Gino has now quit the show, citing he would no longer be a part of the series due to "problems" behind the scenes, Fred doesn't even know if ITV will air the episodes of them travelling around Spain but is "hoping" they will.
However, the show that remains first and foremost in Fred’s heart is First Dates, which celebrates its 10-year anniversary this year and he exclusively reveals how they plan to film a special show to celebrate.
He said, “I am very excited. You know, I can't believe it. It's a brand-new series. So we've got brand new people who get to meet and then it's up to them to decide whether they want a relationship or not.
"And we might get the couples who are still together after meeting on First Dates but this is still very much in discussion.
"I am very proud of the show but the main thing is that my children are proud of what I've done. This is what makes me the proudest. That really is the measure of success for me.
“The show really has changed my life because I can't go and buy a coffee without somebody saying 'Hi' to me and they greet me like they are seeing an old friend and it comes from the heart.
"It's like recently when I went to Sissinghurst Castle as part of the National Lottery Open week. Fruitcake actually surprised me as she knows it's my favourite National Trust site.
"I had so many people coming up asking for a selfie or who wanted to talk to me. I even ended up having a good chat with the gardener, who was advising me on how to save my garden after the frost has killed everything off!
"People genuinely are really thrilled to see me. It's a nice feeling.”
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