I’m in a wheelchair ...it is part of who I am, but not all of who I am
First Dates Dan tells of his huge confidence boost in love quest
what happens. I’m really nervous but at the same time I’m very excited to see it all on TV.”
When asked how he felt after finding out he was one of the successful hopefuls, Dan said he was “absolutely delighted”.
He added: “To be honest it was a little bit surreal because they would have been getting so many different applicants.
“I put the application in but I wasn’t expecting too much, it was incredible.”
Dan said that by signing up for First Dates, he wants to show there’s more to him than being in a wheelchair.
He added: “I think for me personally, it’s important for me that people give the time so I can get to know them and they can get to know me.
“For me, I like to think of it as yes, I’m in a wheelchair – that’s part of who I am but it’s not all of who I am. It’s like, if people don’t like me, they don’t like me – that’s fine.
“It’s taking the time to make that choice and not looking at me immediately and saying, ‘Well, that’s all there is’.”
Dan confessed while he was nervous ahead of his date, his experience has given him more confidence around girls. He said: “As far as the dating went, I was absolutely bricking it and that’s putting it mildly.
“My level of confidence around girls in general is fine but with girls I like, it’s pretty much non-existent. “I’m think in terms of, ‘What if they think this or what if they think that’. I wouldn’t allow myself to experience it. “I suppose that’s where First Dates came in giving me a huge confidence boost because it showed me I can do something like that.”
■ First Dates Ireland
9.30pm on RTE Two. airs tonight at