The presenter was desperate to comfort one of the participants.
Davina McCall has revealed she had to interject during a moment on My Mum, Your Dad when one of the contestants was having a particularly hard time.
My Mum, Your Dad is a new reality TV series on ITV, which follows a group of single parents who have been nominated by their grown-up children for a second chance at love.
However, there is a big twist: Unknown to the parents, their children will be watching their every move, witnessing first-hand their parents’ quest to find love.
From heartwarming confessions to one-to-one dates, the series will take place across 10 hour-long episodes as viewers get the chance to see these singletons on their romantic journeys.
Speaking about her interaction with the parents on My Mum, Your Dad, Davina McCall revealed to RadioTimes.com and other press that there was a moment when she asked the production team if she could go into the Retreat and comfort one of the participants.
“There was a moment, I don’t know if it made it into the show or not, where I actually did say to the production team, ‘Please let me just go in and talk to this person,’ because they were having a proper crisis,” the TV presenter explained.
“This person was so lovely and could not see it for themselves. I had to go in and say, ‘We chose you because you are brilliant. Know that.’ So I did that once. I’d have loved to be in there all the time giving them advice.”
Davina McCall has been a vocal supporter of this kind of show since before it even came to fruition.
Speaking on Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast in January 2023, McCall said she had been “literally begging” the broadcaster to let her present a TV show that involved older people finding love.
In a statement via ITV ahead of the show’s release, McCall said: “Thank goodness the secret is finally out! I’ve been bursting to tell! I’m so excited to host My Mum, Your Dad – this show will have you so invested in the people in it.
“Fascinating, vibrant individuals who have lived incredible lives already, with a million life lessons under their belts, as they search for their perfect life partner. But also with the juiciest twist of any show I’ve ever worked on.”
Thinking back on filming the series, McCall told RadioTimes.com and other press she was “beside herself” when she first met the parents on My Mum, Your Dad.
“It was like a dream come true to walk into an entertainment and TV programme and see my people. A bunch of mid-lifers who all look really cool, really good fun, we all understand each other. [It was] really brilliant to be in a room full of those kind of people,” she said.
My Mum, Your Dad starts Monday 11th September, 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX. The series will run on consecutive weeknights for two weeks. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.
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