JODIE & JAMES OUR PARENTS ARE DATING!

The comedian found his mother the perfect bloke on his show James Must-A-Pic His Mum A Man

- Sam Brooks

What do Jodie Rimmer and James Mustapic have in common? They've both been contestants on Celebrity Treasure Island and they're huge Taylor Swift fans. But the thing that's really bonded the two Kiwi stars is the fact that their parents are dating!

Since both appearing on the comedian's TV show James Must-A-Pic His Mum A Man, his mother Janet and Jodie's dad Bill have been seeing each other for nearly a year, much to the delight of their famous adult children.

When James, 28, embarked on the show to find Janet, 61, a boyfriend, he had "pretty low" expectations. "We really struggled getting men to apply, so we were very excited when we found out Bill was going to be coming on," he says.

"Thank me for that," adds Friends Like Her, Sweet Tooth and former Shortland Street actress Jodie, 50, with a wink.

Bill, 75, had been single "for some time" and Jodie had heard that TV production company Kevin & Co was making a dating show. So without asking, she submitted Bill as a potential contestant, then completely forgot she'd done so.

"I think I rang him a few days later and he was like, 'Oh, what? OK. Alright!" she laughs.

The day that Bill filmed, it was actually just him and four background actors. However, Bill didn't know the others were playing roles.

"He thought everybody else seemed quite good but that he'd won the challenge," Jodie says. "That's the thing about my dad - he's so wholesome, so funny and is just a very kind man."

When Jodie called him after filming and Bill described Janet as "very nice", his daughter could tell he was smitten. "It was so freaking cute!"

Meanwhile, James didn't think anything had come from it until Bill asked for Janet's number. "I was quietly hopeful, but I didn't want to get too excited," he says.

That was nearly a year ago - and they're still getting on really well.