Gordon, Gino and Fred's Road Trip star Fred Sirieix has confirmed he's still pals with his co-stars following the end of the show.
Gino D'Acampo, 46, said he was leaving the much-loved ITV series last month citing scheduling conflicts, while insisting that the men’s “friendship is strong”.
And in an interview with the Mirror, maitre d’ Fred said he had “spoken to Gino yesterday” when asked about their friendship.
“This is the last trip that we’ve filmed and it was very good, very funny, we had a good time,” he said of the trio’s final road trip to Spain. “You will see it and then you’re not going to see it anymore.
“You just have to go with the flow in life, some things come and some things go. It was great, we enjoyed it, we had fun while it lasted and now it’s not going to happen anymore.”
Fred rose to fame on Channel 4 ’s First Dates, which celebrates its tenth anniversary in June. The maitre d’ was offered the role after working in Michelin-starred restaurants.
“I didn’t have any grey hair when I started and now I’m very close to looking like Father Christmas,” he laughed. “When I was first asked I didn’t want to be on TV just for the sake of it, but I liked the concept.
“It was so nice and refreshing to do a TV show for the good of people. You know that when you come to First Dates, at least on paper the match works and we’ve really done our homework.”
The channel’s longest running dating show has led to at least 15 romances, five weddings and three babies.
“There have been so many nice moments for me,” said Fred. “I remember one couple in the very first series, they were only about 22, 23.
“As soon as they saw each other they knew, the date could have been done and dusted even then. Then they started to talk about aphrodisiacs and she said oysters don’t do it for me but olives, they do.
“Then she wanted him to order some olives and she was eating them in front of him very suggestively, with the eye and the smile, you can imagine. And they were laughing and they were so cute.
“It was that young, innocent love where people just look at each other and they know. They could have gone straight to dessert.”
First Dates shows people of all ages and backgrounds looking for love.
“We all grow up in Disney movies, even though we know life is not like that,” said Fred. “Maybe you find love when you’re 45 or you’re 60.
“We all have a lot of preconceived ideas and for me what was really reinforced working on First Dates is that there’s so many ways to live your life. It’s really refreshing to not judge people, we really have to expand our horizons.”
Off-screen, Fred has two children with his ex Alex Spendolini, a daughter Andrea and a son Lucien.
Andrea, 18, is a talented diver who became the youngest member of the Team GB diving squad at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Last summer, TV cameras at the pool caught Fred in tears as he watched his daughter win 10m platform gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last year and she was later crowned BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.
“If once upon a time I was inspiring her, the tables have turned now and she’s inspiring me,” he said. “She works so hard and sometimes she’s just so tired. She is so focussed and wants to be the best diver she can be.”
Fred is now engaged to a woman he nicknames Fruitcake, with the couple winning over Celebrity Gogglebox viewers last year with their humour and warmth.
When we ask if he plans to wed “of course” is the answer, with a smile.“Life is there to be enjoyed,” he said.
“It’s about the love you can give and receive. We only have one life and it’s important to make the most of it.”
Alongside TV work, Fred’s latest project is joining the judging panel for the B&Q Gardener of the Year competition, with the ultimate winner bagging a £10,000 prize.
The star encouraged everyone passionate about the pastime to take part, with four new categories to get involved in.
“If you love gardening and it’s something you enjoy, all you have to do is just go on the website and submit your garden,” he said. “It’s a no-brainer. I’m going to be fighting for the best one.”
Fred loves to tend to his garden at home in south-east London, but admits he doesn’t always get it right.
“I love planting and watching things growing, especially at this time, coming from winter into spring,” he said. “But this winter has been the worst winter because we had a very cold spell.
“Maybe 40 percent of my plants have died, I’ve been talking to a lot of gardeners and I may have to rethink my strategy this year.”
The star also lacks time to be green-fingered, squeezing in his chat with the Mirror on a rare day at home, having just returned from filming in Spain before heading off to Devon.
“Yesterday I was in Palma de Mallorca Airport and I was looking at my flight details to see what gate I was going to go to,” he said. “This girl saw me and she was in a frenzy, she was screaming.
“I’ve had it before but you get embarrassed, I went a bit red. People want to take pictures and they queue up and I’m thinking: ‘Jesus Christ’ but it’s nice that people like me and want to take pictures.
“My life has changed in that sense but apart from that, I’m still the same person.”
*Fred is part of the judging panel for B&Q Gardener of the Year competition which launched this week. Gardeners can enter their competition into four different categories, no matter your garden’s size or budget, to win £10,000. To enter your garden, visit diy.com/gardener-of-the-year. Entries close at midday on June 23, 2023.
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