Blind Date contestant 'dumbstruck' by Cilla Black

29 November 2025

Shirley HenryEast Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

News image — Zinc Grantham appeared on Blind Date, hosted by Cilla Black, in 1997

Zinc Grantham Cilla Black and Zinc Grantham sitting next to each other and smiling at the camera following a Blind Date TV show in 1997. Mr Grantham has shoulder-length black hair and is wearing a multi-coloured shirt. Cilla Black is wearing a royal blue jacket with a blue and white shirt. She has short wavy red hair. — Zinc Grantham appeared on Blind Date, hosted by Cilla Black, in 1997

A hairdresser who appeared on the TV dating show Blind Date said he was "dumbstruck" after meeting the show's host Cilla Black.

Zinc Grantham, from Hull, was chosen to be a contestant on the dating show in 1997, when he was aged 24, after attending regional auditions at a hotel.

"It was a nerve-wracking experience and the audience are about 50ft away from you. It was quite intense," Mr Grantham said.

The dating show, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this month, is due to return on Disney+.

Mr Grantham attended an audition and an interview before receiving a phone call to say he had a place on the show.

"It was a big deal. One of my favourite shows. I used to watch it with my grandma and my sister. My grandma used to say 'I can see you going on that one day'," he said.

The show was broadcast live from London on Saturday evenings.

Mr Grantham said when host Cilla Black arrived at the studio, "We were all a bit starstruck, a bit dumbstruck. We were thinking, is this really happening?"

AFP via Getty Images Cilla Black smiles at the camera as she rests her hand on a vertical wooden post. The TV host is wearing a red jacket and a black and red spotted blouse. The red polish on her nails compliments her lipstick. She has short wavy red-hair. — Cilla Black hosted Blind Date between 1985 and 2003

In 1985, Cilla Black hosted a pilot episode of a shiny new show inspired by a concept from America known as The Dating Game.

It went on to dominate Saturday-night TV, with millions of viewers tuning in to watch one person pick a date from three suitors hidden behind a screen.

"You've got your gear, got your costume on, you've got the one -liners," Mr Grantham said.

Three questions were set by the potential date and the batchelors were given time to rehearse their answers.

"I always used to write poetry and rap. I'm good with words so it kind of flowed.

"When she said number two, I felt really good about myself," he added.

The couple were whisked away on a four-day, all-inclusive holiday to the Caribbean island St Kitts, accompanied by a camera crew.

"It was fabulous. We got on brilliant. We had such a laugh.

"We were just getting spoiled. It was special, really special," he added.

Zinc Grantham is standing in front of a purple-coloured BBC Radio Humberside wall. He has brown short wavy hair, a cropped beard and moustache. The hairdresser is wearing a pink T-shirt with a collar. He is holding a photograph taken with contestants of Blind Date and the host Cilla Black in 1997. — Zinc Grantham travelled to the Caribbean Island St Kitts with his date

Nearly 30 years have passed since Mr Grantham was a contestant on the show, but he said his memories were vivid.

"You're living this experience that's etched on to my brain because it was such a wonderful thing to be behind the scenes of such an iconic show.

"At the age of 24, 22, you don't have that kind of grasp of how big it is," he added.

Mr Grantham did not find romance through the show and he is no longer in touch with his date.

He said they were "very different people but shared a wonderful experience."

As for the wider group of people he met on the show, Mr Grantham said: "We got up to a lot of crazy things, Had some fun, met some friends. Some are still friends now."

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