First Dates, Channel 4: Paolo receives brutal rejection over his love of high heels

The Italian singleton declared a passion for wearing 11-inch stilettos – and it didn’t go well
Unlucky: Paolo
Channel 4 / Stephen Wells
Ben Travis22 January 2016

It’s tricky opening up to a potential romantic partner – will they accept all your quirks and passions?

Things didn’t quite go to plan for 32 year-old Paolo on Channel 4's dating show First Dates, after he revealed his love of daring high heels to blind date Daniel.

“I wear high heels because they make me feel really great. I don’t change personality – just a lot taller,” Paolo explained before the date. “I spent a lot of my 20s trying to be someone I wasn’t, and wearing the heels is a way for me to not be ashamed of it.”

Though he didn’t put his stilettos on for the date (“Not everyone is as open-minded as I am,” he explains), he probably didn’t account for Daniel’s less than ideal reaction.

When Paolo showed off his Instagram profile picture, Daniel asked: “Really, you’re in high heels? What is that all about?”

But while Paolo initially seemed to brush the comment off, Daniel dropped a date-ending bombshell.

“I honestly don’t think I could walk down the street with someone that wears high heels,” he admitted. “Something doesn’t feel quite right. I’m gay, but I like a man to be a man.”

Speaking to camera, Daniel explained his reservations saying: “As human beings, we’re all entitled to express ourselves in any way we want possible. But I do think certain camp people make it a lot harder for gay men to be accepted in the world.”

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Paolo, hurt by the comments hit back that Daniel’s sparkly sequin jacket could be viewed in the same way.

“Your jacket, it’s pretty gay and pretty womanly, it’s pretty much something that somebody else would say, you look stupid in it,” he said, adding: “But I wouldn’t, because it looks great on you.”

The nail in the coffin came when Daniel tried to explain further.

“It’s just because it’s not normal,” he said – before immediately regretting his choice of words. “No no that’s wrong, I mean it’s- that’s not- I shouldn’t have said that, not normal, it’s not common.”

That’s one first date that definitely didn’t lead to a second.

Channel 4, 10pm

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