A woman who twice appeared on ITV dating show Take Me Out opened up about her experience – including bagging a date with Roman Kemp on the celebrity version.
Paddy McGuinness hosted the beloved show, which aired on screens between 2010 and 2019.
Jodie Carnall, from Leicester, originally went to the Isle of Fernando’s with Tom after appearing on the civilian edition.
In 2016, she was invited back to appear on a celebrity show, securing a date with Roman Kemp in the process.
Speaking to Zingo Bingo about her time with Roman, Jodie said: ‘He was lovely.
‘I think the fact that he just got me, he liked my personality.
Former Take Me Out contestant Jodie Carnall opened up about her experience on the ITV show – including bagging a date with Roman Kemp on the celebrity version
Jodie made two appearances on the dating show – once in the civillian version and later brought back for a celebrity show
‘He was very reassuring as well because he’s used to filming. I would have dated him again.’
She added: ‘We did keep in touch for a little bit. I would have liked to have seen him again.
‘It was an activity date and he was just so nice and reassuring.’
Addressing whether she felt more confident in her second appearance – the celebrity show – Jodie explained: ‘Yes, I felt more confident.
‘I think by then maybe I’d have got my lips done. I felt a lot better for the Roman Kemp one, because I’ve done it once before.
‘Also the fact that he was just so nice and reassuring. It made it more fun instead of nerve-wracking.’
Although Take Me Out has been off air for almost seven years, Jodie shared whether she thought the show had a place in 2026.
She said: ‘Yes, I think it’s needed now more than ever.
‘It’s impossible to find a relationship in this generation. Nobody makes an effort anymore.
‘I’d rather give my time to someone in person than just text. It’s such a shame it’s now stopped. It was so much fun.’
Jodie joked that while it would be ‘funny’ if Roman hosted should the show return, she re-iterated that Paddy is ‘the original’.
Revealing what her friends and family thought of her time on Take Me Out, she shared: ‘They loved it. They said, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe you’ve been on Take Me Out. Wow, you’re famous.’
‘I wish, but no, I’ve just gone on a dating show, gone on a date and now I’m back to my 9 to 5 job.
‘It was very difficult having a taste of that life. I loved it so, so much.’
Earlier this year, a fellow former Take Me Out contestant recalled their time appearing on the show.
John Harris went on the show as a student in 2011 and admits that he only appeared on the show because it ‘looked silly and fun’ and not to find love.
It was perhaps a good thing that the Scot wasn’t looking for anything serious, as he soon discovered that many of the women on the infamous Saturday night dating show were already in relationships.
He said: ‘It transpired that loads of the girls were already in relationships. They were looking for a bit of publicity.
‘They cast different characters in each episode. They would cast a gentleman, an interesting one, a quirky one, and then another good-looking fellow.’
John also revealed that while the show very much involved putting yourself out there, he wasn’t paid a penny for his time and didn’t even get to enjoy the seemingly slap-up meal on his date.
The reality TV contestant said filming the show in the studio took ‘a good hour’ and he had to go up and down in the single man lift a few times ‘because they wanted a couple of panning shots’
Take Me Out aired on ITV from 2010 until 2019 – with Paddy McGuinness (pictured) presenting the entire run
He added: ‘The girls have to keep their decision from the first time you come down.
‘It’s just industrial and you have to climb up a ladder – it’s nothing really. It only becomes glamorous when you see it on the telly.’
His outfit was also a lot less glamorous than it appeared to be, he admitted, and unbelievably he was using sanitary pads in a bid to stop himself sweating so much.
John said: ‘I had a grey shirt on and it was warm in there, so I had sanitary pads glued into the armpits of my arm. I was sweaty! I wanted to wear a kilt, but somebody else on the series was wearing one. I took three outfits and the production team said, “Wear that one.”‘
After being lucky enough to bag a date with single girl Kerry, John was then flown to the Isle of Fernando’s the very next day.
The potential lovebirds, however, weren’t alone and John explained that the entire series is filmed at once so all matched couples went out at the same time.
But, at the very least, their flights were paid for by ITV and they were given ‘a little bit of expenses for food and stuff.’
Unbelievably though, by the time John got to Fernando’s – despite only meeting her the day before – he had forgotten his date’s name.
He said: ‘When we flew out, we went partying. We were young lads, all staying in separate hotels. We just went out and had loads of fun.
‘I had to be up at 5am the next morning to film my date – I couldn’t remember the girl’s name!
‘We had to play tennis on the date and we had no choice. And then we went out for dinner – but you don’t actually get to eat any of the food. It’s all for display.’
John was true to his intentions of only having fun on the date and said that he thought Kerry ‘wanted perhaps something a little more.’
He admitted: ‘She was a lovely girl – nothing against it. But I was not the right man for her.’
