Charlie, 30, has never had a serious relationship
CHARLIE, 30
Dating Past
I’ve dipped in and out of the dating pool, but I’ve never had a serious relationship. I’m a hopeless romantic and won’t settle for less than perfect. Some of the dates I’ve been on have been terrible. One guy invited me over for dinner, then halfway through announced we were skipping to dessert and called me a taxi home. He later told me he’d decided I was lacking something, hence cutting the evening short.
Pre-Date Nerves?
I was nervous, I live on my own and lockdown has been tough, so this was a lovely thing to look forward to. While not all of my friends are settled, my brother and four sisters are all in relationships. Whenever we go on a family holiday, I end up sharing a room with my grandfather or parents!
First Impressions?
LOVELY. Physically Chris reminded me of Strictly finalist Jamie Laing, but when I told him this, he had no idea who I was talking about. He was casually dressed in a hoodie and jeans. I could tell he’s a good guy.
Easy To Talk To?
Absolutely, we’re both emotional people. Chris is a fireman, an animal photographer and volunteers at an animal sanctuary. He said he cries at anything to do with animals; that’s me too. I could see some of Chris’ animal photography framed behind him. He’s very talented.
I showed Chris the teddy bear I sleep with at night
I even got my teddy Pluto out to show Chris. I’m on my own so I sleep with Pluto at night. Chris uses a teddy for his animal shoots so he can get the position and lighting just so before introducing the animal to the scene.
Embarrassing Moments?
None, except I dropped a lamp because I was trying to light my face. Chris laughed. Fortunately, we had no problems eating on camera. Chris cooked for himself and had a Thai curry with a bottle of Prosecco while I ordered in some salmon and a posh starter from a Japanese restaurant with a glass of red wine.
Did Sparks Fly?
It’s so hard to tell on Zoom. But we did chat for almost three hours.
Would you like to meet in person?
I think so.
What do you think he thought of you?
We’ve been chatting online since the date, so that’s a positive sign.
Would your family like him?
They’d love Chris and take him in straight away.
Chris, 41, has had a handful of serious relationships lasting two-three years
CHRIS, 41
Dating Past
I’ve had a handful of serious relationships which have lasted two or three years, but I’ve never moved in with a girlfriend. Basically, I haven’t found The One and my parents have given up asking when they’ll have grandchildren.
Pre-Date Nerves?
I loved the idea of a virtual blind date.
First Impressions?
Charlie is a pretty girl. She has long blonde-brown hair and I thought she had blue eyes, but apparently it was her camera giving them a blue tinge. She wore a red dress with white spots and, while I don’t think she’d gone all out, she did look good.
Easy To Talk To?
We covered all sorts of subjects. Charlie runs two businesses, one as a chiropractor and the other as a breathwork coach. She said I can try one of her breathwork workshops.
She was impressed I have a couple of jobs, too. I showed her some of my work, one photograph of a horse and one of a spaniel: I think she liked them. I didn’t take my laptop into the bathroom to show her my shark print!
I get the impression Charlie is an adrenalin junkie. I’ve dived with sharks to photograph them and Charlie said she’d give it a go, too. She has been skydiving and bungee jumping so she likes a challenge.
As a firefighter, I asked if her smoke alarm was working
EMBARRASSING MOMENTS?
Charlie knocked her lamp off the table and I teased her for breaking it. As a responsible firefighter I did ask her if she had a working smoke alarm and I told her off for not having one, only to discover, rather embarrassingly, that I’d left the hob on the whole time we chatted.
Did Sparks Fly?
At the start I thought Charlie was pretty, but not for me. But as we got talking I learned more about her and felt relaxed. We laughed at one another’s jokes which is a good sign. We didn’t exchange numbers, but we did swap Instagram accounts and have been messaging one another since.
Would you like to meet in person?
Yes.
What do you think she thought of you?
I don’t know. She said it was nice to meet me; that’s good enough for me.
Would your family like her?
Yes, Charlie is a pleasant and intelligent girl.