Inside First Dates stars’ love lives – secret husband to mystery lovers, Italian heartthrob & CiCi’s ‘a***hole’ exes
HELPING people on the rocky road to romance doesn’t necessarily mean your own love life will be a walk in the park.
Just ask the stars of Channel 4’s First Dates, whose jobs mainly involve playing Cupid for singletons hoping to meet the one.
From overcoming break-ups to dealing with “a**holes”, it’s safe to say the gang have had their fair share of tumultuous relationships.
One First Dates favourite who has found love is waitress-turned-paramedic Laura Tott, who married her mystery partner last weekend in Devon.
The 27-year-old has previously remained tight-lipped about his identity, but shared radiant snaps of them on their big day, captioned: “Mr and Mrs Clark.”
Earlier this year she announced her departure from the show but said she would like to make a comeback in the future.
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As Laura embarks on a new journey as a married woman, we take a look at the love lives of the rest of the First Dates cast.
Fred Sirieix
Although he has become synonymous with the show and is undoubtedly its most recognisable cast member, Fred has strived to keep his relationships private.
The maître d’ was previously in a relationship with Alex Spendolini for 12 years. They share two children – Team GB diver Andrea, 17, and Lucien, 12.
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The 50-year-old Frenchman found love again in 2018, and announced in March 2020 that he is engaged to his new partner, whom he calls Fruitcake.
He admitted it was “love at first sight” with the Jamaican, and regularly shares sweet snaps of them together.
Fred told The Sun on Sunday he’s “never enjoyed sex as much as now”, adding: “I think it’s a confidence thing and meeting another person who feels exactly the same way as me.
“I like myself much more than when I was 20, I’m a better human being than when I was 20. It’s that overall wisdom.”
The loved-up pair – whose nuptials were delayed due to Covid – appeared together on Celebrity Gogglebox, although her real name is yet to be revealed.
Cici Coleman
Stunning waitress Cici has been open about the fact she has not had the best experience of relationships.
In 2020 she told Pete Wicks on FUBAR Radio: “I’ve dated absolute a***holes and then there’s been some lovely ones, but I have learned lessons from each one of them.”
She then gushed about her boyfriend at the time: “I don’t mean he’s perfect, because nobody is perfect, but what he’s shown me so far is incredible foundations for something beautiful in the future.”
Sadly they split after a year of dating, and she revealed last month she’s currently single and open to meeting someone new.
Fans of the show always hoped Cici would get together with fellow waiter Sam Conrad, after he told her she was ‘perfect’ in a Love Actually-inspired gesture, but it wasn’t to be.
Cici has been open about using dating apps and once disclosed that being on the show puts pressure on her dates.
She recently told the Express: “I’m not just putting all of my energy into dating, I’m putting energy into me, my job and my friendships and the extension of that is I meet great people.
“I’ve had some wonderful dates recently, they may not have gone anywhere but they’ve all been great people. I kind of needed that reminder that there are some really lovely men out there.”
Austin Ventour
Austin has been in a relationship with make-up artist Katie Moore for nearly six years.
They announced in 2020 that they had gotten engaged, and welcomed their first child together last year.
According to Katie’s website, she has worked with “various celebrities and influential individuals”.
Her work has also been featured in publications such as Vogue, Cosmopolitan and GQ.
Merlin Griffiths
Mixologist Merlin, 46, has been with his partner Lucile for over a decade.
But don’t expect to see a picture of the couple together, as he is extremely private when it comes to his love life.
The couple, who are in business together, met in Canada at a cocktail-making competition and share one child.
They were dealt a horror blow last year when doctors diagnosed Merlin with bowel cancer after discovering a 4.5cm stage three tumour.
He underwent an operation to remove it in April this year, but in June he revealed he was back in hospital due to complications.
Francesco Ciccarelli
Francesco joined First Dates Hotel in 2018 and immediately charmed fans with his good looks.
Fred revealed that the Italian even managed to work his magic on Laura, claiming she was “drooling” over him.
His relationship status is currently unknown, although he often shares snaps of a beauty named Terry Tepa.
He has insisted that the pair are just friends – so he may still be on the market after all.
Grant Urquhart
Grant joined the show in series 10 and appears to be more open about his love life than many of his co-stars.
In an interview last year, he said he had just celebrated his three year anniversary with his girlfriend, Natalie McQueen.
His social media pages feature scores of enviable snaps of them in exotic locations and at glitzy events.
David Marc
Although he joined the team last year, not very much is known about David’s love life.
His social media often features him with his family and hanging out with friends.
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The star, who is openly gay, studied fashion design at Salford University and even interned for Vera Wang in New York.
While there, some of his famous clients included reality superstars Kendall and Kylie Jenner.