5 MINUTES WITH...

Paddy McGuinness, 46, here with an ’80s-themed special of the hit dating show, with hopeful singletons looking for love at Christmas time…

You’re doing an ’80s special – tell us about it.

We’ve done an over50s special in the past, but this one is about the decade. It’s celebrating the 1980s, so I’ve gone back to my Miami Vice days… I’ll be in a white suit with a pastel vest, and all the girls will have big hair. The music and everything about the show will be ’80s. I’m really looking forward to it – it will be a lot of fun!

Do you think a fancy-dress element will change the dynamic a bit?

The show always has a party atmosphere, but this will ramp it up a bit. What will be interesting – because everyone’s dressed in ’80s attire – is that the girls and boys will be going on a date with somebody they haven’t judged on their dress sense. I think it levels the playing field.

You’ve said you still get nervous about doing the show, after all these years. Why?

Of course, I know how the show works, but I think it’s natural to get nervous when you’re going up performing in front of anyone. I love the unpredictability of it, not knowing what the girls are going to say. I always tell the lads, “I know you’re nervous, but trust me, you’ll be on and off before you know it. Just enjoy it.”

Is it hard to come up with your “Paddy-isms” each series?

We have every single phrase we’ve ever said stored on a laptop, so we never repeat them. A lot of the phrases are themed for each episode. I was once at a funeral when someone said to me, “Let the ashes see the urn” – which I thought was a bit odd. I mean, there’s a time and a place…