Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Let the pepperoni ..see the pizza
Ulster restaurant girl on TV dating show
A NORTHERN Ireland pizza restaurant worker is hoping to meet Mr Right on ITV’S Take Me Out.
Michaela Lindsay, from Belfast, will be added to the show’s “Flirty 30” this weekend on her quest to find love with the help of host Paddy Mcguinness.
The 19-year-old, who works as a supervisor in Pizza Express and models in her spare time, applied for the show after being single for six months.
Speaking to the Mirror, Michaela has given an insight into what it’s like to be part of a prime time Saturday night entertainment show.
She said: “I seen the application on Facebook, many of my friends had tagged me in the post and said I should apply, so I thought why not.
“But the application process is longer than you would think. It consists of a application online, a phone call, a faceto-face interview and if you make it through all that there is one last phone call.”
Michaela, who was crowned Miss European NI in 2016, said she really enjoyed filming the show and host Paddy was “so lovely” but she was shocked by the schedule.
She said: “As soon as I arrived to the airport I was picked up by a private car and taken straight to the hotel and given my itinerary for the next few days. It was pretty intense, with lots of early starts as we had to be up and ready to leave for around 9am and you would be at the studio until around 11pm.
“If your outfit includes a pair of heels you have to suck it up and stand in them until filming is over.”
Some viewers of the show might be surprised to learn that fake tan is actually banned by the wardrobe department and outfits the girls wear all have to be approved.
Michaela explained: “We would go into wardrobe who were amazing and see which outfit they picked for us to wear. We were allowed to bring our own outfits but you only get to wear your own clothing if your outfit is approved by the wardrobe team.
“Fake tan is a strict no-no. The make-up artist would put body paint on our legs and arms to give you that glow on TV.”
The teenager told how she’s excited for the show to air this weekend and relieved she can finally reveal the secret she’s been keeping for weeks. She said: “It’s been so hard not being able to tell people, barely anyone knows about my appearance on the show just close family and friends so I’m excited to finally be able to talk about it.”
Take Me Out airs tonight on ITV at 6.45pm.