Blind date

I’m a strong woman... I think I made him nervous I sensed she was in a hurry to get away

Every week we send a couple out on a blind date. This week, we sent emma Bunning, 38, a celebrity agent from Oxfordshire, to dinner with Justin d’Orville, 42, a chef and business owner who lives in Surrey. They ate at Hakkasan restaurant in Mayfair, Central London.

EMMA, 38, SAYS:

I’ve been single since the spring after a brief and pointless relationship with someone I went to school with.

We’d lost contact for 22 years and then met again on Facebook. But the relationship was flawed from the beginning and dragged out far longer than needed.

It’s important for me to meet someone who has his own life and career sorted, as I’m independent and ambitious.

I run my own talent management agency, own a house and am financially solvent, so I would like to meet someone with the same drive and ambition as well as respect for mine.

I love to travel, so a man with a sense of adventure would be wonderful, and one who takes life, but not themselves, too seriously. Don’t want much, do I?

I’m a strong, independent woman and I know what I want, so I may come across as a little intimidating if a man doesn’t have a strong personality. I think I might have made Justin a little nervous!

The restaurant was amazing and the meal was incredible — one of the best I’ve ever had. We chatted about our lives and there were no awkward silences, which was a relief, as there is nothing worse on a date. He asked me lots of questions about my work and was easy to chat to.

He told me a little about his marriage and ex-wife; we talked about business, as like me he is driven — which is attractive to me — but it didn’t get too deep or personal.

I was excited about the date, because I love meeting new people, but sadly the minute I met Justin I just knew he wasn’t my type and I didn’t fancy him.

However, he is the loveliest man and we ended up having a good evening.

I was willing to keep an open mind because in the past I’ve discovered chemistry with someone I wouldn’t have thought I was attracted to, but in this case, despite Justin being a great guy, it just didn’t happen. The chemistry just wasn’t there and it was more like having dinner with a mate.

I’m on two dating sites, but I don’t tend to go on heaps of dates. I like a man to challenge me, and so much of the dating preamble is pointless, boring chat, it tends to fizzle out.

I think this experience has taught me not to go on a blind date again!

I’m clear about what I like, and there’s no point in other people trying to figure that out for me. At the end of the meal, Justin asked me for my number and we’ve exchanged a few messages, but I did let him know there is no chance of romance.

I think it’s really important to be honest.

LIKED? Open, smiley, easy to talk to. REGRETS? None. COFFEE OR CAB? Cab. Verdict: 6/10

JUSTIN, 42, SAYS:

I’ve never been on a blind date before, but I wasn’t nervous as I love meeting new people, and this wasn’t a disappointment.

Despite me being on time, emma was already there, and I thought she was an attractive girl and the conversation went well. We had a lot in common — we both love to travel — although while I still have a long bucket list to fulfil, she seems to have done most of it! That impressed me.

We both run our own businesses, are ambitious and got on well. What I loved about her is that she likes cars. Not just in terms of what they look like, but she used to drive cars round a race track as a hobby, so that was a great conversation, as I’m mad about cars.

To be fair, I’m a bit of a chatterbox and I would have stayed a bit longer, but I sensed she was in a hurry to get away. We only had about twoand-a quarter hours together, and while I didn’t detect a massive spark between us, I think we got on well and found each other interesting.

But it was clear at the end of the meal that she wanted to crack on and get home!

Like me, she had an early start the next morning and a busy day ahead. I get the impression she leads a hectic life!

I will say that, as a blind date, I thought it was good. Let’s face it, it could have been much worse! There is always that fear that it will be awful, but it was a positive experience. I would do it again because I liked the excitement of meeting someone I didn’t know.

Life can take over and it can be challenging to give the time to find a partner. I was married for five years and divorced several years ago. I have had a couple of relationships since, but have now been single since the beginning of the summer.

I work hard and am pretty active, too, cooking, skiing when I can, travelling and watching Arsenal. I’d love to meet an independent, intelligent lady who is good fun and doesn’t take herself too seriously.

I do like a party on the odd occasion, too. My celebrity crush would be a victoria’s Secrets model, but is that too cliched?

I’ve joined a couple of dating sites, but don’t deal with them much to be honest. The date with emma was a great experience, and even if there was no romance between us, it’ll be one date I’ll never forget. The restaurant was superb. As a chef who runs his own catering company, I don’t say that lightly, so emma made a great choice.

I suggested we swap numbers at the end of the night, even though I wasn’t certain there was any romantic connection. We’ve exchanged a few messages, and I would love to see emma again, if only as friends. I have a lot of female friends and enjoy their company. I think emma is a great lady, attractive and driven. But she is so busy with work, I wonder if she is too busy to meet someone. She’s an amazing girl and whoever ends up with her will be lucky. LIKED? She was attractive. REGRETS? None.

COFFEE OR CAB? Coffee (probably as a friend). Verdict: 7½/10