Take Me Out contestant used 'secret trick' to get Paddy McGuinness' attention
A Take Me Out contestant used a sneaky tactic to try and get the attention of host Paddy McGuinness and land herself her dream fella.
The popular dating show hit our screens all the way back in 2010, and ran for 11 series.
Hosted by comedian Paddy, Take Me Out saw a group of 30 single women, each with a button in front of them.
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A potential date would then come down the ‘Love Lift’ and would try to win the women over and bag himself a date.
In an attempt to impress the women, the single guys would share a bit of information about themselves, show off any hidden talents as well as hear from their nearest and dearest.
If the ladies were interested they kept their lights on, but if they decided to swerve the bloke they’d switch it off - or ‘no likey, no lighty’ as Paddy put it.
All being well, the lucky fella would end up with a woman leaving her light on until the end and the pair of them would get sent off on holiday together to the ‘Isle of Fernados’ - a fictional destination set within the very real destination of Tenerife in the Canary Islands.
Following more than 100 episodes, the show bowed out in 2019 - but not before helping some couples find love.
According to the BBC, Take Me Out has been responsible for eight weddings and six babies.
Meanwhile, Paiton Barker says she also found her one true love after appearing on the show back in 2018.
Paiton was immediately smitten when Ryan Lenton came down the ‘love lift’ and onto the podium, and she had a sneaky trick up her sleeve to try and make sure she got the date.
In an interview with the Daily Star, Paiton explained that upon seeing Ryan, she made sure to tell the women either side of her that she fancied him in the hopes that producers would hear it through her mic and send Paddy over to talk to her. Clever, eh? And the plan seemed to work.
She said: "I hoped the producers might hear me and then send Paddy over to see my opinion. So I tried that.
"I feel like it did work a little bit, but a lot of the crew said afterwards they had hoped we'd get together. They have people in mind when they cast a show, so they kind of thought that we would go for each other."
Five-years later, the couple are still going strong and are grateful to the show for setting them up.
Topics: Take Me Out, ITV, TV and Film, Sex and Relationships
Claire Reid