First Dates' Fred Sirieix says 'it's gone too far' after co-star Gino D'Acampo's scandal

Fred Sirieix, famed for his role as the charming maître d' on Channel 4's 'First Dates', has weighed in on the fine line between humour and offence.

His comments come amid allegations levelled at '' chef Gino D'Acampo - who Fred has starred alongside for ITV. At 53, Fred spoke out during a candid chat with The Times.

Having previously teamed up with Gino and for their show 'Road Trip', Fred reflected on a flirtatious quip he made on the BBC series 'Who Do You Think You Are?'. His comments come after Gino faced claims of using "unacceptable" sexualised and aggressive language on set, which he strongly refutes.

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spoke of the need to "reset a little bit", after talking about his appearance. The episode kicked off with Fred exuding his trademark suave demeanour, serenading a lady at a restaurant.

He reminisced about telling the woman: "I was singing Pretty Woman in my head when you were walking in with all your froufrou and everything." Looking back at the incident, where the woman received his words warmly, Fred mused: "I'm 53; I want to carry on singing Pretty Woman.

"And also I may do a bad joke one day too, you know what I mean?". While not explicitly mentioning 's controversy, Fred pointed out: "But hold on: there's a big difference between a bad joke that somebody doesn't appreciate and saying something rude, inappropriate and quite frankly unacceptable."

has called for a societal rethink, passionately stating: "I think we've got to reset a little bit. It's gone too far. I've got to say, I love men. Men are fantastic. They are!"

The 'First Dates' maître d' also weighed in on the political ascent of Reform UK leader and his party's stance on immigration, contrasting it with Labour's policies, reports .

When probed about potentially leaving Britain if Farage were to become PM in 2028, Fred remained non-committal. Fred noted that he would make that decision when the time comes, while pointing out that , his homeland, is facing its own challenges: "He could be, but we're not there yet. Look, my children are here. I live here and I love this country."

Fred didn't shy away from critiquing the current state of affairs, saying: "All countries have these ups and downs and we are currently at the bottom of a wave. Things are not going very well, there is no clear sense of direction and the politicians don't know what they're doing."

Reflecting on the political climate across the Channel, he added: "But in France it's no better. When got elected there, 25 per cent were voting extreme left and 25 per cent voting extreme right."

Having charmed the nation over nearly three decades through his television work, including his beloved role on 'First Dates', Fred is fast becoming a British icon. His latest venture sees him exploring his lineage on BBC's 'Who Do You Think You Are?'.

In tonight's emotional episode, Fred travels back to France to delve into his heritage, where he uncovers the wartime romance of his maternal grandparents and confronts a long-standing family legend.

The episode is set to air on Tuesday evening at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.