Steph goes in search of love on TV

STEPH ROBERTS: second time lucky

SINGLE girl Steph Roberts will be looking for love on the small screen again when she appears on tonight’s edition of Channel 4 show First Dates.

The 34 year old from Shaw first stole the limelight among 30 other girls on ITV’s popular dating show Take Me Out three years ago. The beautician was whisked away to the island of Fernandos for a romantic date.

Despite not finding Mr Right back then, the mum-of-one, who also works as a TV extra, turned true love into big business by setting up local dating site www.manchesterdate.com.

Now she’s set to hit our screens a second time - by looking for romance at the First Dates restaurant in London.

She said: “The same friend who encouraged me to apply for Take Me Out said I should apply for this programme too. I’d seen the show but hadn’t considered applying because I thought I’d come across as a complete loser! But I like proving myself wrong so I applied, auditioned and was picked.”

Filmed eight weeks ago, Steph was paired with a firefighter from Sheffield: “My date was a lovely bloke and we had a really good laugh. I think the wine helped.

“I enjoyed the whole experience, it was very different to Take Me Out. I had to do my own hair and make up so came down on the train with curlers in my hair.

“And you forget there are cameras filming while you are eating so I had the mushroom stroganoff -nothing with spinach in it! I’ve not seen the episode so who knows what will be featured.”

Despite being unlucky in love, business is booming for Steph who has now launched another dating website, www.liverpooldate.com.

As for true love, Steph said she is close to stopping the search for Mr Right.

She said: “Never say never but I think I’m giving up on love, any guys I meet are horrible.

“And we’ve got so many pets in our terraced house (one dog, two cats, two lizards, a giant rabbit, a parrot and some fish) that there is no room for a man in my life.

“I’m happy with it being just me and my 12-year-old son James at the moment.”