Paddy McGuinness has criticised 'Love Island' for only having "drop dead gorgeous" contestants compared to his former dating show 'Take Me Out'.
Paddy McGuinness says Take Me Out was a more inclusive dating show
The 48-year-old presenter hosted the ITV programme from 2010 to 2019 and it featured guys trying to impress a bevy of women to get them to go on a date with them.
The girls had the power to turn off their lights if they didn't fancy the fella and then if it got down to the last two the power was in the guy's hands as he got to choose who he took on a date to the "Isle of Fernando's" a fictional location based in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife.
Paddy believes the beauty of the programme was that it had normal lads and lasses, rather than the perfect contestants on 'Love Island'.
Speaking on the TWS Sports Podcast, he said: "If you look at programmes like 'Love Island' now, where everyone is absolutely drop dead gorgeous, all the guys are full of muscles and they’ve got dead white teeth, and all the girls have got long hair and gorgeous bodies.
“'Take Me Out' was more about everybody. There was all different shapes and sizes on 'Take Me Out', that’s what I loved about it, it wasn’t like everybody was perfect.
“The lads were all different types of lads. You’ve have lads who were dressed in white suits and just being really loud and crazy all round the stage. Then you would get other lads who were dead nervous and quiet but they’d slowly come out the shell as they did better during the game.
“Out in the world no one is perfect, that doesn’t exist so I’m glad 'Take Me Out' had all shapes and sizes."
Paddy - who was famous for his catchphrase "no likey, no lighty" on the show - admits he got very close to the female contestants on 'Take Me Out' because he would film with them week after week until they got a date, and he used to feel protective over them like a "father figure".
The 'Top Gear' star said: "Because I would do so many shows with the girls I would get to know them. You’re almost a bit gutted when they get a date because you become a bit of father figure to them, you’re putting your arm around them and having a laugh with them.
“We had a lot of fun making it.”
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