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After years of watching 20-somethings strive to find love (but mostly lust) in the Love Island villa, the middle-aged dating show that viewers have been waiting for has finally arrived.<\/p>\n
My Mum, Your Dad, launching on ITV with Davina McCall at the helm, will see the cast of contestants put their dating hats back on as they\u2019re put forward by their children to try and find new partners.<\/p>\n
Starting on Monday September 11 in the UK, the series looks like it\u2019ll be a breath of fresh air as audiences have a chance to get to know people who have had plenty of past experience in the world of love.<\/p>\n
One of those people is Roger, 58, who suffered immense heartbreak just 18 months prior to the start of filming when his wife died from melanoma.<\/p>\n
Nominated by his 28-year-old daughter Jess to take part in My Mum, Your Dad, Roger said that she takes after her late mother, Joanne.<\/p>\n
Losing his wife drilled into Roger just how short life can be, he shared, as he opened up on how he would describe himself in just a few words ahead of the programme\u2019s launch.<\/p>\n
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\u2018Fun, loving, conscientious, struggling to get old \u2013 I don\u2019t want to get old. With what\u2019s happened to me, I lost my wife, I know that you can get up and life can be over in a split second. People talk about it, but I\u2019ve actually seen it,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
As for why Jess nominated him to jump head first into the My Mum, Your Dad experience, he stressed how \u2018lovely\u2019 she is as a person.<\/p>\n
\u2018Her mum was really thoughtful in everything \u2013 she could plan things to a detail \u2013 and Jess has got that,\u2019 he shared fondly.<\/p>\n
\u2018She is so thoughtful and it was just a lovely thing for her to say, \u201cDad, look, we understand that you\u2019re struggling and it\u2019s been hard and we know that you\u2019ve got a lot of love to give and we\u2019re OK if you were to see someone else.\u201d So much so that she put me forward.<\/p>\n
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\u2018They just wanted me to know they\u2019d be happy to see me with someone else and just want me to be happy. It\u2019s just how she is.\u2019<\/p>\n
After his wife died, Roger didn\u2019t want to think about dating anyone, emphasising that he \u2018didn\u2019t really want to meet anyone\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u2018You don\u2019t expect it to be you and you don\u2019t expect it to be your wife,\u2019 he added.<\/p>\n
\u2018But I\u2019m going on the show to get some confidence. I must have subconsciously wanted to meet someone by saying yes to the show.\u2019<\/p>\n
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However, while some members of his family are enthusiastically backing him to participate in the experience, others are less certain that it\u2019s the right time to be doing so.<\/p>\n
\u2018Half of my family are saying \u201cyes\u201d to it, half are saying I\u2019m not ready,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
\u2018But I know it\u2019s something I don\u2019t want to pass up on. And I get to meet Davina \u2013I get to cuddle Davina! There\u2019s an experience here that I don\u2019t want to look back and think, \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you try it?\u201d<\/p>\n