We have absolutely fallen in love with watching Channel 4’s First Dates, whether we are rooting for two people that really hit it off, or falling in love with one of the diners ourselves.
But there is something – or should we say someone – else that we just can’t get enough of.
That’s right, bearded French love guru, maître d’ Fred Sirieux. How wise and philosophical he is!
ED met with Fred himself and got some exclusive top tips on finding love that you really don’t want to miss out on!
1. Never give up on finding The One
“I think if someone has been been broken-hearted, then they need to know it’s gonna take a little time and once they’ve mended themselves everything can go back to what it was.
“You may be already ready to be dating again, only you know the answer, but I think it is only a matter of time and the time that it will take only depends on you.
“Also, you might not initially feel a spark, but you might feel like you like that person, and you may want to take it further and it’s just a question of choice. That depends on the belief that you have about what may happen if you carry on. And there are no rules for the way you feel, it’s up to you. We make our own rules.
“I mean, it’s true. You need to have that spark. But there are a lot of people that do it differently, some people do arranged marriage. They don’t necessarily have the spark, yet we say that it is worse than what we do.
“So I think there are so many different things around the world, and I don’t think we should be pre-judgemental about what people do and whether they go back for more if there isn’t an initial spark.”
2. Be open-minded to finding love anywhere
“I do think you have to be open-minded, I don’t think there is such a thing as normality, I think that we are all the way we are, we are all unique, yet we are all the very same.
“We cannot be judgemental with other people and point the finger when actually we’ve got to focus on living our own lives. I think it’s important to say, live and let live.”
3. The workplace is great hunting ground
“I think it’s only natural [to find love at work]. You spend a lot of time at work, you see people and you see them in a very good light and very bad light, so you know exactly what they’re like.
“Because you see them every day, you can just become so attracted to them.”
4. Be brave: take risks
“What isn’t risky? Some people say, ‘Why are you cycling to work? It’s so dangerous,’ but I’ve been cycling for 20 years, nothing has ever happened to me – and some say you can’t date someone at work because it is risky, it’s the same thing.
“What about cycling to work? You could have an accident. Yet look how many people cycle.”
5. You COULD bag a celeb lover
“Well I’m sure if you’re in the public eye I think people can be quite guarded, because they think, ‘Will this person like me for me or for the fame. Do they see the person that’s behind the camera or just the person on the television?’
“So there is always that element, but when you see the Celebrity First Dates you realise that they are just like you and me and there is no difference with them.
“That’s why people like it, because they are just like us.”
Meaning we are in with a shot?!
Don’t you just love him even more now? We certainly do! Sadly for us, he is already spoken for…