A widower whose wife tragically died four days after Christmas is looking for love in the latest episode of Channel 4's First Dates after his she made it "very clear" that she wanted him to enjoy his life after her death.
In emotional scenes, Simon, 61, tells his date: "Since I’ve been on my own, if I start cooking too early, if I’ve eaten by 8pm, what do I do with the rest of the evening? So I tend to eat later, as I find the days a bit long." In an interview with the First Dates team, he adds: “Quite often at weekends, I don’t see anybody or talk to anybody at the weekend and I’m not really made for that,” as he recalls how his life has changed following his wife's passing.
Breaking down in front of the camera, he reveals: “Six months after she passed away, I was in the car and I said out loud, ‘how did this happen?' Like, how could I not protect her and save her?"
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During the episode, Simon, from Wokingham, goes on a date with Theodora, 65, from Dartford, who has recently split with her husband of 46 years. “It’s all very well saying that you’ve been married for 46 years but if you’re not happy in that marriage, there really is no point,” she says of her marriage break-up.
Coincidentally, Theodora and Simon's date is on her birthday. Upon initially meeting, the two of them get on well. Simon, who is determined to find a "well travelled" person, strikes lucky with his date, who tells him about her passion for jet-setting and how she was born in Malaysia.
The pair discuss their previous marriages. Theodora tells him that she hasn’t had any romance in her life. Midway through their date Simon compliments her saying, “I imagine you’re quite hard to be on par with. You look very good and you’re obviously smart and adventurous.”
He then opens up to her about his wife's death and reveals: “So she was diagnosed with cancer in 2015 and we travelled all over the place and she was doing well. Then it all went downhill. On Christmas Day in 2018, she went into hospital and she passed in four days so it’s not great." After Theodora offers her condolences, he tells her how his wife was “very clear that [he] should enjoy [his] life.”
The date concludes with the “perfect birthday present” for Theodora when widower Simon reveals that he would love to see her again. The pair leave the restaurant together in pursuit of a bar to continue the birthday celebrations. A title card at the end of the episode reveals that they saw each other again after their date.
First Dates airs on Channel 4 at 10pm on Thursday, August 11
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