​101-Year-Old Opens Up About Trying To Find Love On First Dates Christmas Special

First Dates will be opening the door to their oldest ever love-seeker 101-year-old Eric Stanley during this year's Christmas special.

Eric decided to take part in the show to find a female companion after his wife passed away 20 years ago.

Appearing on This Morning, Eric spoke to Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes about his attempt to find love on the show as well as how he coped with his wife's death.

Eric was joined on the sofa with his grandson James McClusky, who convinced him to go on the show.

ITV/This Morning)

During the interview, James explained that when he saw the advert from the show asking for contestants, he decided to sign his grandad up.

Although Eric had never seen First Dates before, he said that he was now very interested in it.

He said: "I mean, 20 years living on my own, I thought it might prosper you know. And I welcomed it then. I was very nervous and I'm nervous now - I'm a nervous chap."

ITV/This Morning)

On meeting his date Norma, 84, he said: "The first time I saw her, I thought she was pretty active for her age, you know, and there's a word for being clear in your speech, she made you understand what she was telling you.

"She had a plan, and she wasn't going to take anybody back to Croydon... and I sort of went but it could have completely changed, because the day after she was phoning me."

ITV/This Morning)

As well as speaking about his current date Eric gushed about the 'love of his life' and how he finds it difficult at Christmas without her.

Eric said: "At that time [when she died] I had so many friends and family that rallied round and I missed her, I miss her now.

ITV/This Morning)

"People couldn't ask me about my wife six or eight months after she died without it affecting me, but as time goes on, you do [move on].

"I'll never forget her completely because there's always something at home that reminds you of it. [At Christmas] 99 times out of 100 I'd buy the wrong thing and we'd have a natter about it."

First Dates At Christmas will air on Christmas Day at 9.15pm on Channel 4.

Topics: TV News, TV Entertainment

Mark Cunliffe

Mark is a writer at LADbible with a creative writing background and a history working at some of Manchester's biggest agencies. He loves football and music that screams a lot.

@mark_cunliffe