Man Becomes The Oldest Person To Go On ‘First Dates’ At 97

Going on a date at any age can be a stressful experience as you never know exactly how it will pan out. Will your one-liners hit their mark, will the waiter accidentally drop your main on the floor, will your card awkwardly decline when you're trying to pay for the date?

Well that stress and worry is nothing compared to this absolute legend who has not only gone on a blind date at the tender age of 97, but he's also done it on national telly.

In an episode of First Dates that aired tonight, Richard sat down with Ruth and everyone melted.

They found out that they both support Tottenham - which is always a good start.

The 97-year-old said: "I played for [Tottenham] as a junior, training for Tottenham Hotspur and then band, the blasted war started.

"I was called up to the forces, the army and I was 18."

Richard spoke about how difficult it was being shipped off to war at such a young age and that it was 'horrible' see his mates killed in front of him.

"We were holding this bridge, the Arnhem Bridge in Holland," he explained. "There was Italians and Germans, SS men with tanks, so we were on our own against all these Germans. We never had a chance.

"I was quite knackered but all them boys that got killed and marooned, and back in England all the lovely people that got bombed, it was horrible.

"I used to have nightmares here and there, thinking about all the horrible things that happened."

Thankfully though, Richard survived and he was able to get his life back on track.

"I was 27 when I came out [of the army] and of course I lost most of my youth. I still think I'm a young man. My body isn't but my brain is."

Ruth boldly asks the war veteran how old he is and is shocked when he says he's less than three years shy of becoming a centenarian.

"My god - I wouldn't have believed it. If I had a hat I would take my hat off to you because I think you're amazing."

At 97, he seems to still be as sharp as a tack and you couldn't wipe the smile of his face as he was at Fred Sirieix's Galvin at Windows restaurant in London.

You are an absolute legend Richard - good on you.

Featured Image Credit: Channel 4/First Dates

Topics: Awesome, TV and Film, Daily Ladness, Inspirational, Feels, first dates, World War Two, UK, soldier, Channel 4

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie