CiCi Coleman is best known for being part of the First Dates TV show, but she's also a successful fitness coach. Recently she's been busy co-hosting First Dates: The Podcast with Frankie Bridge.
We caught up with her to talk about the show!
We’ve been listening to the first few eps - and it is much more risqué than the TV show! Was that the plan?
CiCi: I think the TV show is very much about two people going on a date and we get to watch that, whereas the podcast is about dating stories. So, you get to hear the full picture: the start, the middle and the end which, of course, means you get a lot more detail with it!
The podcast really sounds like eavesdropping on a dating debrief between friends - and feels like a style that's second nature to you..?
CiCi: I guess it’s second nature because I have worked on the show for such a long time: it’s been 10 years now. I’ve also been on quite a few dates myself, so I tend to be the go-to when friends have dated because they want to know my thoughts on it! We have a little bit of a deep dive – they’ll call me after and say, ‘this just happened on the date!’, then we dissect it, we figure it out and then we work out a plan on what we want to do. I love it… I could talk about dating all day long.
What’s the most memorable story you’ve heard so far?
CiCi: *sharp inhale* Oh, I can’t say because it hasn’t been out yet! But what I will share is that every time we recorded [an episode] it was an eye opener. I thought I had seen and heard it all because of doing the show for such a long time. But I couldn’t have been more wrong! There are some wild people out there and a lot of the time both me and Frankie were left gobsmacked, in just utter disbelief of how people can act on a date.
Has hosting First Dates: the Podcast made you believe in romance again?
CiCi: I’ve always believed in romance; it’s never left me. You know, we all go through break-ups, and you have that pain and think, ‘Aagh I’m never going to find love again!’ But then you get over it, jump back on the horse and you go again.
I think what has been lovely about the podcast is, while there have been some shockers, there have also been some real, true love stories. If you hear five bad stories and you hear one good one, you immediately forget about the bad ones because love is the thing we are all looking for. It’s the thing we can’t really describe, it’s that something inside and when you experience it is the best feeling in the world.
Which podcasts are you listening to at the moment?
CiCi: Steven Bartlett. Every single time. In each podcast he brings something new. I’m just so fascinated by people and psychology. He has quite a few life coaches on there who are incredible at what they do, and I find it truly fascinating. As well as, on the flipside, just talking about what the body does and what foods can do to your body. I’m a bit of a geek with that kind of stuff. So, Steven Bartlett is up there at the moment with his podcast.
The British Podcast Awards Listeners’ Choice is open at the moment - you have one vote. Who do you give it to?
CiCi: It’d be NewlyWeds for me!
Listen to First Dates: The Podcast every week, with new episodes every Thursday.
Other Links
- Gethin Jones fuels romance rumours with First Dates star Cici Coleman as they enjoy date night in London's West End - Daily Mail
- Inside First Dates star Cici Coleman's life - Gethin Jones 'romance' to homeless worries - The Mirror
- Gethin Jones dating First Dates star as they enjoy night in London’s West End - The Sun
- First Dates star ‘dating huge daytime TV presenter’ as they enjoy West End date - Metro
