It appears that love wasn’t constantly in the air during the production of The Ultimate Wedding Planner, the BBC’s new competition show.
Along with Dragons’ Den’s Sara Davies and Raj Somaiya, Fred Sirieix, who evaluates the work of eight aspiring wedding planners as they take charge of couples’ big day, has said there were disagreements behind the scenes.
The 51-year-old First Dates star said ahead of the series’ premiere that he had a falling out with Strictly Come Dancing‘s Sara, 39, but can you guess why?
Well, Fred admits to having “quite a few fights” with Sara… over who should be removed at the end of each episode.
He explained: ‘Me and Sara were in quite a few fights, very healthy debates, [which arose from us seeing] a situation or person through our very own specific lens and through our own experience.
‘And so it was about debating the pros and the cons of our thinking and being open to listening to one another. It was really, really interesting.’
Fred recalled a particular ‘funny’ argument over one of the planner’s handiworks, which Sara found ‘crafty’, while the TV personality thought it looked like ‘something from the pound shop.’
The maître d’ described Sara as ‘strong-willed’, ‘very, very smart’ and ‘very funny’ meaning they engaged in ‘healthy and respectful’ debates and fights over deciding which planner to give the boot.
He continued: ‘I wanted what I wanted, and she wanted what she wanted, and we have to argue like the Romans would do in their parliament: they debated and fought for their corner. So that’s what we did and it was great.’
And it wasn’t just Sara who felt the heat of Fred’s enthusiasm for the programme as he hinted at being a stern judge on a mission for ‘excellence and utmost professionalism.’
‘It’s a proper job. It’s a profession. And I know what it takes; I’ve been doing this for 30 years at the highest level and I am really only looking for the best. I’m not here to take prisoners,’ he warned.
Sara and Raj, who Fred characterised as committed ‘professionals’ who took great care and deliberation while delivering their judgements on the participants’ wedding preparations, earned his admiration for performing at “the greatest level.”
But it wasn’t all hard work and heated disagreements, as Fred revealed the trio frequently went out together when the cameras were turned off.
‘We had a lot of fun, lots of meals, lots of gin and tonics and bottles of wine. It was fun, we really had a good time,’ Fred added.
Ultimate Wedding Planner begins on Tuesday at 9pm on BBC Two.
Source My Celebrity Life.
