'We can all relate to their struggles in love'

Presenter Davina McCall on her new dating show and flying the flag for finding romance in midlife

- LAUREN MORRIS & EVE MACDONALD

As the original host of iconic matchmaking show Streetmate, we can’t think of anyone better to front ITV1’s much-anticipated new dating experiment, My Mum, Your Dad, than Davina McCall.

Ever since Love Island hit our screens, audiences have been crying out for a spin-off featuring older singles – and their prayers have finally been answered with the network’s latest venture.

The 10-part series takes a group of single parents looking for a second chance at romance and invites them to a country house retreat in West Sussex, where they head off on dates and mingle with other empty-nesters.

Host Davina soon becomes a much-needed shoulder to cry on as the contestants try to address past trauma and come to terms with the many hurdles they have faced throughout their love lives.

Their heartache is something Davina can identify with well.

“There are so many second-time-rounders who have lost someone, or been unsuccessful [in love] time and time again,” says the star, 55. “We can all relate to that.”

Following the breakdown of her 17-year marriage to Matthew Robertson in 2017, Davina has found love again with celebrity hairstylist Michael Douglas, 48.

But while she’s happy to lend her support to the dating hopefuls, Davina reveals she learnt the hard way that it’s important not to get too involved in their personal lives.

“I wanted to be in there all the time giving them advice, but actually, you’ve got to let it play out,” she says. “The more you get involved, it’s a mistake. What do I know? I don’t know these people.”