EXCLUSIVE: First Dates star Fred Sirieix married his fiancé of five years earlier this year in a Jamaican romantic ceremony but like any other couple, the pair have their tense moments
08:00, 25 May 2025Updated 08:23, 25 May 2025
Fred is fronting new show Who Do You Think You Are where he is embarking on finding out more about his family
Fred Sirieix is best known for making the nation smile or fall in love, but now the First Dates maître d’ is set to make us cry too, in a deeply moving new episode of Who Do You Think You Are?.
Fred, who was born in Limoges, France, discovers more about his grandfather’s experiences during the Second World War, gaining a heartbreaking insight into those “silent periods” which would affect Fred’s own mother while she was growing up.
Fresh from marrying his fiancée of five years, who he affectionately dubs “Fruitcake”, in a romantic ceremony in Jamaica in February, the charming 53-year-old Frenchman opens up exclusively to OK! about love, legacy and the highly emotional discoveries from the past that have brought him closer to his family than ever before…
Fred and Fruitcake have been together for five years before tying the knot(Image: PA)
Congratulations on getting married earlier this year. How was the wedding?
The wedding was amazing. We got married in Negril, in Jamaica. It’s my favourite part of the country – seven miles of beach, discovered in the 60s by hippies. The music, the sand, feeling your feet in the water – you hear Bob Marley in the air. We were there for a couple of weeks. Days before the wedding we all had drinks on the beach, shorts on and just relaxed. That way, everyone already knew each other on the big day. And then, it was a huge party.
It sounds like an absolute fairy tale…
It was brilliant. But you know, we did it for us. We had friends and family there, but it was about Fruitcake and me. We’ve been together for 10 years. We’re 53 and 51 – we’re not spring chickens! But we believe in our relationship, and it was great to make a big deal out of it. It was about trust, commitment and celebrating what we have. It really elevated our relationship and sealed the way in which we feel for each other. It’s been a beautiful experience.
Fred and Fruitcake tied the knot in Jamaica in February this year
How is married life now? Is it any different?
It just carries on. But I’ve got the ring – I feel it on my finger every day. Life is the same – we still argue as much as before! I’m still cooking, and she still complains because I haven’t cleaned the kitchen properly. I always clean it, but apparently there’s always something that’s not clean enough.
How did you first know Fruitcake was The One?
Because I realised early on that I could totally trust her. She’s genuine. She is who she says she is.
The nickname Fruitcake is so sweet – literally! Where does it come from?
That one’s just between her and me. It works for us. She’s Fruitcake. That’s all you need to know. And that’s all she wants you to know. We’re happy that way.
Being on First Dates , you have built a TV career around love and relationships. What’s something you’ve learnt about love that you wish you knew 20 years ago?
It’s about trust. About knowing someone’s got your back and you’ve got theirs. Love is not something that changes. Like Shakespeare said, “Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds.” We have to know what we want in life. A lot of people change their minds like the wind. One day they love you, the next they don’t. I’ve seen it for years on First Dates . People say they want X, Y and Z – we give it to them, and suddenly they want A, B and C. It’s not about “settling” – it’s about knowing what you’ve got is as good as it gets, then making it work.
Fred’s daughter, Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix, is an Olympian for GB and Italy
Your daughter Andrea [Spendolini-Sirieix] is an Olympic diver for Team GB. How did it feel to see her win a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics?
Amazing. Andrea has been training since she was eight. The Olympics was her dream. And to win a medal in Paris – it was incredible. She’s won medals for Britain and Italy, but never in France. She trained so hard she barely went to school, but she still got brilliant results. I’ve always said if you want something, you’ve got to work for it. No shortcuts. You’re going to suffer. It’s got to be painful.
You’re in the latest series of Who Do You Think You Are?. It’s an emotional watch…
Oh, I cried every day in fact, because it was very emotional. I went to Burgundy, where my grandfather was a prisoner of war. I went to the very place he was held during the Second World War. He escaped from there to go home, crossing the whole of France. It was so dangerous. The penalty was being shot. What I didn’t realise is that my grandfather was suffering from PTSD, and so was my great-grandfather, who, incredibly, took part in the First World War from the very first battle to the last. And he survived. I mean, it’s just incredible.
Your calls to your mother during the show are very moving, too…
I was calling her every day, telling her what we found. And as I was telling her things, it triggered stuff for her. She told me something I didn’t know: that my grandfather would sometimes not speak for weeks, even months. It created a very strange atmosphere in the house. That affected my mum in a really big way. There was always a part of my mum I didn’t fully understand. But by doing Who Do You Think You Are? , I just got it. That feeling of being abandoned, not loved, being left behind. My mum would have been six years old, and her father didn’t speak to her? That’s huge.
It sounds like it helped you to bond in a new way…
It really did. I remember when I called her, I was standing in the trenches – and she told me that story. My heart just sank. I never could have imagined it. But without doing this show, I wouldn’t have known. It brought me closer to her. It strengthened our bond. It was a beautiful experience.
Fred is embarking on a deeply personal journey to uncover his roots in his new show
Away from TV, you’re doing amazing work with your charity, The Right Course, aren’t you?
Yes, I started working with this charity, which seeks to promote the education of young offenders, ex- young offenders or those at risk of offending through hospitality, when my daughter was born. At the time, there was a wave of crime in our local area, people were getting stabbed. I thought to myself, I’ve got to do something about it. Right now, we’ve got six restaurants in prisons, helping offenders train and get jobs; the goal is to have one in every prison.
What sort of help do you give?
When people come out of jail, they need three things: a job, a place to stay and contact with family. That’s how we stop reoffending. We’re making a small difference. We’re working with the government and the Ministry Of Justice to scale it up. But I’m part of society. I’ve got a voice, and I’ve got to be able to use it – if everybody focuses on that, we can make the world better.
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