AJ Odudu is to host a 'Married At First Sight' spin-off show.
AJ Odudu
The programme has been given a major overhaul ahead of the new series and it will now be accompanied by a weekly show, 'Married At First Sight: Afters', which will feature interviews with the programmes stars and insights from relationship experts, and the 33-year-old presenter can't wait to get to work.
AJ - who will also compete in the new series of 'Strictly Come Dancing' - said: “I am the ultimate 'Married At First Sight' fan so to get to do this job is a dream to me.
“I can’t wait to break down the weekly goss and reflect on some of the biggest stories that I know every 'Married At First Sight' group chat will be discussing. Bring it on!”
The controversial dating show is being given a revamp to be more like the Australian version - where the couples don't legally tie the knot and all live together - and less of a "TV experiment", and in a further bid to attract a younger audience, it was recently revealed producers are on the lookout for glamorous contestants.
A source said: “'Married At First Sight UK' started out as much more of a straight TV experiment looking at relationships.
"Producers were already looking to shake up the format, but the huge success of the Aussie version has convinced them they have the chance to reinvent the show and create one of this country’s most talked-about TV hits.
“They’re looking for particularly attractive and interesting characters to ensure the British reincarnation is as explosive as the one Down Under.”
The UK show has previously followed between two and four couples who only meet for the first time on their wedding day, with each pair living alone and asked only once if they want to stay together. By contrast, the Australian version starts with 10 couples living in an apartment together, and regularly scrutinising their relationships over explosive weekly dinners.
It was confirmed in November that bosses were planning a format change.
Commissioning Editor of Factual Entertainment, Lee McMurray, said at the time: “I’m thrilled to be refreshing one of the portfolio’s most popular brands for E4, bringing extra scale and ambition to what is already one of the most audacious and provocative experiments on television, and delivering what we hope will be the most exciting series yet.”