I appeared on Come Dine with Me and got PUNCHED in the face in public after I went viral for iconic show moment
A WEDDING DJ from Lancashire has revealed how his life has changed for better and worse after becoming a Come Dine with Me icon.
Kev Riley has become known the world over for shoving a whole hand whisk into his mouth whilst preparing a dessert on the well known Channel4 cooking contest.
It was a spur of the moment idea for the man who had been put forward for the show by a mate, and who has never been remotely interested in cooking.
Now he lives with the nickname whisk guy and, 13 years after it was first screened, Kev is still very much in the public eye.
Thinking back to the filming he told the MailOnline: “A mate had put my name forward as a laugh. It was all an accident really. It all went from there. I did not practice or prepare and I actually came last.”
When the episode aired the 44 year-old became an overnight meme and he started to get recognised wherever he went.
His fame hasn’t just been a flash in the Come Dine pan though and social media has ensured he’s as popular as ever.
Talking of his prolonged fame, he said: “It is quite mad really. I am recognised everywhere I go. I can’t just mind my own business. Social media and Tiktok in particular has made it incredible.
“It is like being a full-time celebrity. It was filmed in 2012 and broadcast the year after and I’d say there’s been more fame in the last year or so because of TikTok.”
In his home town of Burnley, Kev is stopped on an almost daily basis but his fame extends far beyond the county borders.
He said: ‘I was relaxing in Corfu a few years ago and these Greek waiters came up and started cheering at me, saying I was the whisk man. It was incredible. They weren’t even British, they had seen it online.
Last summer Kev’s face was even blown up and put on a flag seen at Glastonbury during a performance by Coldplay.
However not all the attention he’s received has been good and he spoke about a recent night out which turned sour, saying: “This bloke came up to me and asked if I was the bloke from Come Dine With Me and the whisk.
“I said yes and he just punched me in the face. It was awful really. I was with my wife and we were just having a nice evening. It’s a real shame.”
Despite his global fame Kev is keen to point out that he hasn’t made his fortune from his infamy.
He added: “I haven’t made money from this. If I had, maybe I’d have been a millionaire. But it’s just about the laugh. It’s been great fun. I have always had a quirky personality.”