06 March 2024 , 10:14
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Fred Sirieix lives a wholesome life away from the spotlight.
When the 51-year-old TV personality isn't reassuring nervous singletons on Channel 4's First Dates, or starring on the nation's favourite shows - like I'm A Celebrity and This Morning - he's spending time with his two children and fiancé. Fred was brought up in Limoges, France, and initially trained to be a chef before switching to the front-of-house business.
He moved to England in 1992 and quickly began building his career in the restaurant industry. Today, his resumé includes the names of top eateries like Tante Claire in Chelsea and Le Gavroche in Mayfair. He also worked as the general manager at Galvin at Windows, a Michelin-star restaurant at the London Hilton on Park Lane, until 2019.
Fred and Fruitcake met on a busy London street in 2018 (@fred_sirieix /Instagram)
The couple postponed their wedding plans in 2021 (Getty Images for The National Lo)In 2013, he became Channel 4's beloved maître d'hôtel and built a name for himself in the showbiz industry. In 2018, he found love when he met his partner, Fruitcake, on a busy street in London. Two years later, the low-key couple got engaged and were meant to get married in 2021 - but had to delay the celebrations due to the Covid pandemic.
Fred has since shared his affection for Fruitcake, telling The Sun that "she's a fun girl and she makes me laugh." The Celebrity Gogglebox star also said that he and his fiancée have a fairly normal relationship, adding, "We just enjoy each other's company, we enjoy walking and all sorts of stuff, like everybody else, it's easy - very simple and very straightforward."
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Fred confirmed in September 2023 to the Daily Mail that he and Fruitcake are "still deciding on a date" for their wedding and that they are "working on it." While the couple rarely give glimpses of their home life on social media, it's understood they reside together in Peckham.
Fred is a proud dad to Olympic athlete Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix (Dave Benett/Getty Images)
She competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and represented Team GBFruitcake's official job is unknown, but she runs an Instagram account sharing her fashion finds and travelling adventures with about 13,000 followers. In addition to his Channel 4 work, Fred has hosted BBC's Million Pound Menu and Remarkable Places to Eat. He's also loved for his televised road trips with famous TV chefs Gordon Ramsay and Gino D'Campo.
Before his relationship with Fruitcake, Fred was in a long-term relationship with Alex Spendolini. He shares two kids with his Italian ex, a 14-year-old son named Lucien and a 19-year-old daughter Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix, who is a professional diver. She is a World junior, two-time European senior, two-time Commonwealth Games and two-time national senior.
Speaking to The Telegraph last year, Fred said that the best days of his life were the dates of his children's births. "It's such a simple thing to wake up and take your children to school. I remember so well taking my son to his classroom for the first time. Andrea is an Olympic diver, who competed for Team GB in Tokyo. They're both lovely young people, kind and generous. I'm very proud of them, and I couldn't wish for better children," he gushed.