Fred Sirieix, the star of First Dates, wed his five-year-old fiancé in a Jamaican romantic ceremony, but like any other couple, they have their tense moments.
Fred Sirieix is best known for making the nation smile or fall in love, but now the First Dates maître d’ is set to make us cry too, in a deeply moving new episode of Who Do You Think You Are?.
Fred, who was born in Limoges, France, discovers more about his grandfather’s experiences during the Second World War, gaining a heartbreaking insight into those “silent periods” which would affect Fred’s own mother while she was growing up.
Fresh from marrying his fiancée of five years, who he affectionately dubs “Fruitcake”, in a romantic ceremony in Jamaica in February, the charming 53-year-old Frenchman opens up exclusively to OK! about love, legacy and the highly emotional discoveries from the past that have brought him closer to his family than ever before…
Congratulations on your wedding earlier this year. The wedding, how was it?
The wedding was amazing. We got married in Negril, in Jamaica. It’s my favourite part of the country – seven miles of beach, discovered in the 60s by hippies. The music, the sand, feeling your feet in the water – you hear Bob Marley in the air. We were there for a couple of weeks. Days before the wedding we all had drinks on the beach, shorts on and just relaxed. That way, everyone already knew each other on the big day. And then, it was a huge party.
It resembles a true fairy tale in every way.
It was fantastic. But you’re aware that we performed it. Although there were friends and family there, Fruitcake and I were there. For ten years, we have been married. We’re not spring chickens, but we’re 53 and 51. However, we have faith in our relationship, which was fantastic. It involved respect for what we have, commitment, and trust. It significantly improved our relationship and established our shared values. It’s been a wonderful experience.
How is marriage currently? Does it have any differences?
It just carries on. But I’ve got the ring – I feel it on my finger every day. Life is the same – we still argue as much as before! I’m still cooking, and she still complains because I haven’t cleaned the kitchen properly. I always clean it, but apparently there’s always something that’s not clean enough.
How did you first discover that Fruitcake was The One?
because I soon realized I had complete faith in her. She is sincere. She lives up to her claims.
The fruitcake nick-name is so sweet, literally! From where does it originate?
That one’s just between her and me. It works for us. She’s Fruitcake. That’s all you need to know. And that’s all she wants you to know. We’re happy that way.
You have a TV career centered on relationships and love, thanks to your First Dates success. What love-related lessons have you learned that you wish you had learned 20 years ago?
It involves trust. Generally speaking, knowing that you have someone’s back and that they have theirs. Love doesn’t change, it changes. Like Shakespeare once said, “Love is not love that changes when it alters finds.” What does life require of us is. Like the wind, many people’s minds change. They may love you on one day, but they may not the next. On First Dates, I’ve seen it for years. People claim that they want X, Y, and Z; we give them A, B, and C, but it’s not about “settling,” it’s about making sure what you have is as good as it gets, and finally making it work.
Your daughter Andrea [Spendolini-Sirieix] is an Olympic diver for Team GB. How did it feel to see her win a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics?
Amazing. Andrea has been training since she was eight. The Olympics was her dream. And to win a medal in Paris – it was incredible. She’s won medals for Britain and Italy, but never in France. She trained so hard she barely went to school, but she still got brilliant results. I’ve always said if you want something, you’ve got to work for it. No shortcuts. You’re going to suffer. It’s got to be painful.
You’re a part of Who Do You Think You’re?, the most recent television show. Watch out for emotions…
Oh no, I did cry every day because it was so emotionally charged. My grandfather was a prisoner of war in Burgundy when I was there. I visited the exact location where he was imprisoned during World War II. He made his way home from there, crossing France entirely. It was a real danger. Shotgun was the punishment. My grandfather and my great-grandfather both had PTSD, which is something I didn’t realize until recently when I watched him fight in the First World War. He remained, too. It’s just incredible, I mean.
Your mother is also very touched by your calls during the program…
Every day, I called her to let her know what we discovered. And it caused her to start acting in response as I told her. She explained to me that my grandfather would occasionally not speak for weeks, even months. The house was eerily quiet because of it. That had a significant impact on my mother. My mother always had a part that I didn’t understand fully. But I only learned it by participating in Who Do You Think You Are?. That feeling of being abandoned, not loved, and abandoned. My mother’s father had not spoken to her when she was six, so why wouldn’t she? That is enormous.
It seems to have facilitated a new kind of bonding, according to the report…
It really did. I remember when I called her, I was standing in the trenches – and she told me that story. My heart just sank. I never could have imagined it. But without doing this show, I wouldn’t have known. It brought me closer to her. It strengthened our bond. It was a beautiful experience.
You’re doing amazing work for The Right Course, a charity that you’re not affiliated with, aren’t you?
Yes, when my daughter was born, I started working for this organization, which aims to promote the education of young offenders, former young offenders, or those who are vulnerable to offending through hospitality. People were being stabbed in our neighborhood at the time there was a high crime rate. I paused and said, “I have to do something about it.” We currently have six restaurants in prisons that assist with job training and employment. One should be found in every prison.
What assistance do you offer?
When people come out of jail, they need three things: a job, a place to stay and contact with family. That’s how we stop reoffending. We’re making a small difference. We’re working with the government and the Ministry Of Justice to scale it up. But I’m part of society. I’ve got a voice, and I’ve got to be able to use it – if everybody focuses on that, we can make the world better.
Source: Mirror
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