Greenock man Connor McGhee to appear on Celebs Go Dating

Connor McGhee will be appearing in the series featuring the likes of Love Island star Chloe Burrows, model Lottie Moss and television regular Vanessa Feltz.

Each season of Celebs Go Dating sees dating coaches Anna Williams and Paul Carrick Brunson take a different group of celebrities and help them find their perfect match by coupling them up with members of the public.

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Former St Columba’s pupil Connor has revealed how he became one of the everyday people chosen to feature on the programme after a representative of the show reached out to him through his Instagram.

He told the Tele he was thrilled to be getting a chance to appear on TV and hopes that the programme could provide his big break.

He said: “It’s really exciting, they reached out to me through Instagram a few months ago to offer me the opportunity.

“I was bit sceptical at first, but it’s turned out really well.

“I’m looking for a total revamp in terms of my career, I want to really push this TV stuff and hopefully get my name out there.

“I went in fancying my chances and the whole experience has been great.

“I don’t know if I’d say I’m a romantic, but I can be if I meet the right person.

“I think you’ve got to be a little bit realistic in this situation, they’re celebrities so you’d imagine their day-to-day life is so difficult with crammed schedules and other celebrities to deal with.

“I’ve probably been a bit of a loose cannon myself growing up and my pals have told me I’d be suited to doing TV shows like that.

“It’s been different being on this show, I feel like I’ve met lots of new people and made new connections.

“I think this shows if you’ve got your own dreams and your aspirations, you shouldn’t let anybody tell you that you can’t do it, because anything is possible if you surround yourself with the right people.”

The move into television is a big change for Connor, who attended St Joseph’s Primary and St Columba’s in Gourock, before leaving to do a joiner apprenticeship.

But his career in carpentry didn’t work out and the 24-year-old instead decided to pursue a qualification in Marine Engineering at the City of Glasgow College.

After graduating, Connor spent several months-long spells working at sea before he began pursuing modelling work earlier this year.

The Greenock man says his family and friends have been very supportive of his decision to pursue a reality TV career but admitted that not everyone was sold on the idea straight away.

He added: “My dad was a bit of a tough nut to crack when I told him I was going on Celebs Go Dating but I think he’s coming round a bit now.

“He and my mum have offered me more support than I could possibly have imagined.

“I’ve had a few digs from the boys, some of them are buzzing and some of them like to sink the boot in.

“I’m a wee bit anxious, but not really because I know I’ve given a good representation of my real self.

“I’ve tried to be as authentic as possible and if I’ve come across how I think I have then I’ll be alright.

“Hopefully this gives me a platform to build from, I’ve made good pals with some really big names and met some tremendous people.

“It’s normally people from Glasgow that end up on these kinds of programmes, you don’t really see guys from Greenock getting on.

“It feels a bit surreal at the moment, I think it’ll really hit home when I watch it.”

The new season of Celebs Go Dating kicks off on August 20 at 9pm on E4.