Lizzie Cundy: “I’ve found love with my Greek holiday fling”
TV presenter Lizzie Cundy opens up about her new summer romance and how she’s more confident than ever
She was left heartbroken after S a bitter divorce from her footballer husband, Jason Cundy, in 2012. But despite being single ever since, Lizzie Cundy has found love again with hunky language teacher, Yanis, 45, whom she met while filming new reality show,
Our Shirley Valentine Summer.
The ITV hit, which sees Lizzie incessantly flirting with Yanis, has been described as Love Island for the over-40s, as eight single female celebrities, including Lizzie, Aggie Mackenzie and Nancy Dell’olio, jet off to the Greek island of Naxos, in search of romance.
Excited Lizzie, 48, says, “I was attracted to Yanis straight away. He had beautiful eyes like a wild wolf and was just so gorgeous. He came to teach us Greek and, normally, my Greek isn’t bad, but I struggled to even speak English in front of him.
“Then he rang me the next morning and asked if he could take me on a date. We went to a bar on a beach and it was so romantic. We felt so comfortable together – as if we’d known each other in another life.”
MAN-EATER
And the romance has continued since Lizzie got back to England. The former WAG, adds, “Yanis was the first person to text me when I stepped off the plane. And he’s assured me that he’s not interested in fame, he’s just interested in me. It’s really hard with long distance and it’s early days, so I don’t want to jinx anything, but at the moment it’s going well. I’m just trying to be level-headed about it – but it feels like I’ve finally found love again! I’m flying back to Greece to see him next week!”
Lizzie admits that it’s not easy to find love when you’re over 40. She says, “It’s hard in many respects. Your confidence may have been knocked or you might worry whether you’re going to be left on the shelf. Going on the show was quite emotional for me and it made me realise that some aspects of my life are quite lonely. But it’s made me a stronger person and I’ve discovered what I want to be.
“I’m no spring chicken, but I’m young at heart. And although everyone warns me to stay away from toyboys, Yanis is still three years younger than me. People tell me I should go for an older businessman, but I prefer someone with a bit of edge and Yanis is so kind and sweet, too. Just because someone has tattoos and wild eyes, we shouldn’t judge them. People think I’m a man-eater, but I’m actually a real softy.”
And she thinks her sons, Josh, 23, and James, 18, would approve of her new love interest, too. She says, “My boys said I looked really happy. They haven’t met Yanis yet, but he is going to come over soon and I’ll introduce him to them. I know they’ll get on well.”
The show has also made Lizzie feel more confident about her age. Last week, she appeared on This Morning in a thong bikini – and revealed she plans to continue wearing them until she’s 70.
NAKED AMBITION
She explains, “My body isn’t the same as when I was 21 and, although I still look after myself and try to stay fit, there’s more to me than that. I like to have fun. People who say women over 40 shouldn’t wear bikinis are just killjoys. There’s nothing better than dancing around the house naked!
“At the moment I feel happy in myself, but that doesn’t mean I’d rule out having a facelift or a tummy tuck in the future. Sometimes people take surgery too far because it’s so addictive. I started having
Botox after my divorce and soon my eyebrows were in different postcodes. But you’ve just got to have a good doctor and strong friends around you.”
One of Lizzie’s good pals is Simon Cowell. And she says she can’t wait to see the new X Factor line-up – Simon, Robbie Williams, his wife Ayda Field and singer Louis Tomlinson – on screen. She says, “I love the new judges. The husband and wife dynamics of Robbie and Ayda will make great TV.”
And after holidaying with Simon, 58, and his partner Lauren Silverman, 40, in Barbados, she hopes wedding bells will soon be ringing for the couple.
“They seem very happy together and they have lovely little [son] Eric,” she says. “I’d love for them to get married. But at the same time, if something is going well, then why change it? You’ve just got to live life, be happy and follow your heart.” ● Our Shirley Valentine Summer is on Thursdays at 9.30pm on ITV until 9 August