A former Blind Date contestant has revealed that a Cilla Black body double was used during filming. Katy Moore appeared on Christmas Celebrity Blind Date in 2002, looking for love on national television.
Speaking on behalf of Zingo Bingo, Moore described what Cilla Black was like behind the scenes. She said: "We weren't allowed to speak to her unless she addressed us. She didn't come until the actual recording in the night time, so during the rehearsals there was a double. I was quite nervous meeting her!"
Rehearsal process and on-set surprises
Moore went on the iconic UK dating show in hopes of finding love back in 2002 and was left seriously surprised by one element of production. She explained: "The singing was awful. We had to sing the song White Christmas and that was his 3rd question, so obviously I didn't get to do that because I was dumped, which is great."
She added: "I remember the girls being so nervous but afterwards they treated us so well and they took us out for food." Moore also noted that contestants could practise their questions beforehand and received help with their answers, so they weren't exactly put on the spot. The audience had a warm-up act to get them ready for the show.
Show history and reboot
Blind Date originally ran on Saturday evenings from 30 November 1985 to 31 May 2003, shown on ITV and hosted by the late Cilla Black. Paul O'Grady eventually took over as the show's presenter. On 30 June 2025, it was confirmed that the series will be rebooted yet again, this time for Disney+.
