MENTAL HEALTH, MARRIAGE AND DIETING Julia Morris gets candid
The ‘Blind Date’ host shares hilarious dating stories, ageing happily and the therapy that changed her life JULIA MORRIS
Candid and straight-talking, Julia Morris doesn’t spare the gory details when it comes to her personal life. Whether it’s romantic humiliation, fertility woes or her hubby’s brush with cancer, each episode in her roller-coaster life is retold with complete frankness, wicked humour and a side of her infectious cackle. Yes, Morris is Australia’s first lady of comedy for good reason.
Having spent the last 30 years honing her skills as both a comedian and presenter, she’s now one of the busiest women in the business, co-hosting I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here!, touring nationally as a stand-up performer, and all the while juggling her role as a wife and mum to two young girls. Now she’s adding to her already full work plate by taking the helm of the new Australian version of Blind Date.
“I haven’t been single for some time,” the 50-year-old tells WHO. “But I remember that if I thought I could meet a decent guy, I’d try anything. I think Blind Date is as good a place as any to find The One.”
Set to hit our screens on Oct. 15, the show sees a single guest ask three hidden potential suitors questions to determine which person they want to go on a date with, and Morris will be on hand to play matchmaker.
In the era of dating apps Tinder and Bumble, where playing the field can be pretty brutal, its format promises a back-to-basics approach, along with some good old-
fashioned romance. And although she’s married now, Morris is sure she’ll be able to call upon her years of dating experience to guide nervous singles.
“I have mostly horror stories!” she giggles. “I’ve been on some disaster blasters over the years. You’re out to dinner and your date says something racist, or is disrespectful to a waiter, and you’re like: ‘Oh, my god! What do I do?’ And you just end up getting really drunk! That’s what usually happened with me. I went on a date with one guy who got so drunk that he fell asleep! We went to another bar to meet some of his friends and once we were there he nodded off. I woke him up to say goodbye and he turned to me and said: ‘I don’t think this is gonna work out.’ Brilliant!”
Thankfully bad dates are all but a distant memory for the TV star. Morris has been married to Welsh comedian Dan Thomas since 2005. The pair met through friends at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival when Morris was “32 or 33” and are still going strong more than 17 years later.
“The first night was overnight romance!” she recalls, laughing. “But he called me the next day, so we were already on the right track. I’d usually date someone and get around five or six months in and be bored, though I never got sick of him.
“I never got to that bit where I was like: ‘now I have to offload you.’ We’re still not there yet and I get joy from seeing him every day.”