Rivals star Emily Atack is being lined up as the host of the new Blind Date reboot, it’s been reported.
The 36-year-old actress is being considered by Disney+ execs for the new series, 22 years after the late Cilla Black departed.
Emily, who shot to fame in The Inbetweeners, has family connections to the series. However, it’s the star’s winning and popular personality which has caught the attention of casting bosses.
Rivals star Emily Atack for Blind Date reboot
Emily has had long links to showbiz. Her mother, Kate Robbins, had previously worked with Cilla. Kate wrote the theme tune for Cilla’s other huge ITV series, Surprise Surprise. Kate also voiced Cilla’s puppet in the cult impersonation show, Spitting Image.
But it’s Emily’s natural warmth in front of the camera which has made her a shoo-in for the hotly contested role. Reports previously suggested that Holly Willoughby was leading the race to front the series.
At the time, a source claimed: “The prospect of her [Holly] fronting a reboot of Blind Date is a very real one, and a pairing that many viewers could see as a natural fit.”
However, now it seems Emily is the frontrunner to host it…
“Execs want someone youthful, fun and glamorous but also relatable to the youngsters who’ll form the bulk of the contestants,” a source claimed.
“Emily has always been candid about her own roller-coaster love life, before eventually finding the right man and settling down with a family.”
The TV insider continued to The Sun: “She’d be an inspiration to many of the youngsters looking for love and happiness, but also a famous face that many people view as someone they could relate to.”
Entertainment Daily! has contacted reps for Disney+ for comment.
Emily Atack’s love life
Emily has had a rocky road to love herself – not unlike her Rivals character, Sarah Stratton, who fell for Rivals bad boy, Rupert Campbell-Black.
“I wasn’t afraid to identify with her. I am her,” Emily said about her character at the time. “I’m a very flawed woman. I’ve made terrible decisions in my love life.”
She previously had flings with rock stars including Harry Styles and Dougie Poynter, as well as comedian Seann Walsh.
Emily also had a long-term relationship with Jack Vacher, a Hollister model, between 2013 to 2018.
However, Emily has since found love. She now shares 18-month-old Barney with partner Dr Alistair Garner.
When was Blind Date last on screen?
Blind Date was a huge hit when it first launched on ITV back in 1985. Hosted by Cilla, who was accompanied by ‘Our Graham’, the show ran until 2003.
The show was briefly revived in 2017 for two series on Channel 5, with the late Paul O’Grady at the helm.
Read more: Emily Atack addresses ‘hurtful’ reports she’s ‘dating her cousin’
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