Louis Theroux has admitted that a visit to a "stressful" swingers party for a documentary he was making in the 90s left him fearing for his relationship.
From hanging out with core members of the Westboro Baptist Church, to spending time with key players in the porn industry, British documentary maker and host Theroux is famous for putting himself in situations others wouldn't dare - in order to gain a deeper understanding of what makes niche and sometimes problematic communities tick.
However, ahead of a four-part retrospective BBC series on his career, the 50 year-old star said it was a trip to Southern California, to spend time with a group of swingers, that made him fear for his relationship at the time.
The visit in question was for his Weird Weekends series - in which Theroux spends time with some of the fringes of American society - but although he might seem to be able to deal with any situation when the cameras are on, he found this particular experience tricky.
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Theroux spoke to the BBC about a clip from the episode - originally aired in 1999 - that showed him in a pool with another man, while saying 'I've taken my clothes off... am I doing the right thing?'
"I was at a swinger's party. I can't remember the man's name" he said.
"He had a very slight accent, he may have been Greek or Turkish. I remember he said to me 'I'm just going over here for a quickie.'"
"It was a very stressful situation for me. I was in a committed relationship off-camera and I knew that it was going to be extremely awkward when my partner saw what I was up to. At the same time I knew I had to get involved on-screen."
Ultimately Theroux reverted to his well-known professionalism and desire to get the job done. He explained: "So fairly late in the party I just took off all my clothes and went up to a hairy man, clutched the side of the pool next to him and began saying: 'Am I swinging now?'."
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The documentary maker was married to Susanna Kleeman from 1998 to 2001, and has been married to Nancy Strang since 2013.
Louis Theroux: Life On The Edge starts this weekend on the BBC and will look back at 25 years of his career, going right back to his earliest documentaries and even re-connecting with some of the individuals featured on his shows.
One of those in the first episode includes Mike Cain, who moved to the hills of Idaho in the 90s and armed himself in preparation for what he saw as an inevitable war with the federal government. As with most things involving the much-loved star, it's sure to be a fascinating watch.
Topics: TV and Film