I Found Love On Naked Attraction

I’ve always been a laid-back person. Being from Cornwall, we tend to be that way – more chilled, more go slow, than other places.

I think that’s why, after I had broken up with my boyfriend, and saw an advert on Facebook asking for applicants for Naked Attraction, I simply thought ‘oh, I’ll apply for this, it’ll be a bit of a laugh’. I wasn’t thinking very seriously about it, or even really thinking I’d get on. There would be loads of other people they’d want, right?

But then I got a call back. The producers said they were interested in putting me on, and so I went all the way up to Manchester for an interview where it was me, two people, and a camera in a room. They asked me basic questions to see how I would be on TV... and then I had to strip off. That wasn’t a problem at all – in fact the only embarrassing moment was my struggle to take off my skinny jeans. But before I knew it, I was asked to be on the show.

The idea of being naked on national TV never bothered me – it might sound wrong but in life I’ve always been the person that’s like if someone wants to look, let them look. And what I always loved about the show was the way you just get everything out there, see what you’re dealing with all in one go.

I’m quite easy-going about my body – not like prancing around nude – but I’m not shy about it. I used to suffer a lot with my body confidence, particularly growing up after a few bad experiences. But as I got older I just started asked myself: why worry? My mum had always brought me up to think that, yes, some things might be a little bit bigger and some things might be a little bit smaller but all us women have the same body parts. We’re all the same. I know I’ve got some curves here and a bit of fat there, I’ve got a wonky toe, but who cares?

Almost all of my friends and family were totally supportive, telling me what an amazing thing it was to do. I told my work, just in case any customers saw me, they could be prepared!

The only person who struggled was my dad. I’m the baby of the family, the youngest daughter, and he worked in a very male atmosphere – he was worried all his workmates were going to see his youngest daughter naked. He’s very much a realist and told me ‘Millie, you’re getting naked on TV! What if you get negative comments, or get trolled?’ He was just being protective. So I kind of white-lied to my dad and said I was going to audition, but I promise I won’t do the show… knowing full well I was going to do it.

When I went on the show, I was going to be picking – I’d told myself I would prefer having a bit more control of the situation to standing there in a pod being chosen. Looking back, it’s definitely a bit weird to have had six naked men in front of me. But I took it in my stride, I knew I had to have fun with it.

Besides you and the men in front of you, it’s so dark around you in the studio you can’t see anything and almost forget you’re on camera at all, you get into the zone.

Selecting itself was actually really difficult. Obviously you don’t want to stand there and say to someone “I didn’t pick you because you’ve got small… bits” because that’s not the tone of the show and I don’t like putting people down.

So my main concern going in was trying to think clearly about why I would be getting rid of any one person. Part of the process before you get on is them asking what your perfect man, what your biggest attractions are, just to judge what men to put on with you. Put all my exes in a row, however, and you’d find they look nothing alike! So I said yeah I’d like a muscular man, maybe with a chiseled face... my only small thing was that I wasn’t a big fan of back hair.

Even then, they like to throw you a couple of curveballs here and there. There were some now that if I saw them in the street I’d say no but suddenly you’re seeing them naked and you think oh, you’ve actually got quite a nice body. So it makes you challenge what you actually like in someone, which I loved.

And that’s the great thing about the show – watch it and look at all the different body types. When you think of TV dating shows and modelling, it’s all petite skinny girls – but this show doesn’t look for that, they genuinely look for diverse and unique people. They emphasise body positivity and I think you can tell that watching the show.

So in the end I chose a man named Ben, and we walked off and we looked at each other awkwardly. We barely have time to say hi, and then you’re marched off to change for the date hours later. I just remember us laughing, thinking this is so surreal... what did we just do?

I think I said it on the show but when you’ve met someone and you’re both naked, it then feels weird being together changed, on the date? I honestly think I felt more comfortable being naked with him than on the date.

Ben was a lovely guy, we got on well enough. But then I met Derry.

Back at the hotel where they had put me up, I went for dinner and saw there was just me and two single men sat on their own. I remember thinking it was a bit weird and then one of the men stood up at realised ‘are we all here to be on the show?’ We all got chatting and us three got dinner together and I’d told them I’d just been on – they were both going to pickers the following day. We went for a drink, I swapped numbers with one of them, and suddenly Derry and I were texting all day every day from then on.

When it came to Derry’s turn on the show he picked a girl he got on well with, but fortunately for us it didn’t go anywhere – awkwardly he’d already met me, and then we were basically already a couple when he went on his date the following night.

But Derry lives all the way in Wigan, so I would fly all the way up from Cornwall to come and see him, then he’d come all the way down to see me. Three months after we had met, suddenly I was moving up and we were living together. It moved very quickly but I’ve been here almost a year now and I love it. It’s been a culture shock coming from chilled out Cornwall to live six hours away near a city, and I miss my family, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

When people ask us how we met, we love telling them – it’s such a weird story how we came to get together, you know? We met through a dating show where we both got naked in front of strangers... and we weren’t even on the same episode!

When it came to watching our actual episodes last November, my mum and stepdad came up for the day, and then we sat there watching me get naked on TV – quite surreal. For Derry and I, it was quite awkward because we were watching it together as a couple, and there we watching each other looking at and judging other naked people.

In all, choosing to go on the show was truly an incredible experience. They make you feel so good about yourself, and obviously I met Derry. If you’re reading this and thinking about going on the show, do it. Just do it.

From the interviews to the show to the crew, they make you feel so much better about yourself, and give you such a boost to your body confidence. They tell you you did amazing and had us all laughing and feeling confident about our bodies and good about yourself. Plus, I’m not much of a girly girl, but even I enjoyed getting my hair and makeup done for the day.

If you want to feel better about your body, if you’re feeling self-conscious or down about the way you look, it’s so important to push through those boundaries. I should know, a few years ago I was that person.

Obviously I went on the show thinking it’d be nice to meet somebody (although I didn’t expect it to be like this) – but looking back now, I’m a much more confident person for having done it.

And as for my dad? I think if I’d done it and didn’t get anything out of it, then maybe he’d be more upset at me. But as I like to say to him now, if I didn’t do it, I wouldn’t have met Derry – who he loves almost as much as I do.

As told to Charlie Lindlar

Naked Attraction returns on Wednesday 21 August at 10pm on Channel 4

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