Latest news with #NakedAttraction
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
I've dated both men and women… I know which sex is easier, says Naked Attraction host Anna Richardson
SHE'S best known for hosting Channel 4's controversial Naked Attraction, but Anna Richardson's own love life is almost as intriguing as the TV dating show. Following the end of an eight-year relationship with comedian and presenter Sue Perkins, Anna is now loved up with charity boss Simon Marks. 5 Naked Attraction host Anna Richardson's love life is almost as intriguing as the TV dating show Credit: Camera Press 5 Anna was in an eight-year relationship with comedian and presenter Sue Perkins Credit: Alamy 5 Anna is now loved up with charity boss Simon Marks Credit: BackGrid And she's clear that even though she puts no labels on her sexuality, she definitely...
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
I've dated both men and women… I know which sex is easier, says Naked Attraction host Anna Richardson
SHE'S best known for hosting Channel 4's controversial Naked Attraction, but Anna Richardson's own love life is almost as intriguing as the TV dating show. Following the end of an eight-year relationship with comedian and presenter Sue Perkins, Anna is now loved up with charity boss 5 Naked Attraction host Anna Richardson's love life is almost as intriguing as the TV dating show Credit: Camera Press 5 Anna was in an eight-year relationship with comedian and presenter Sue Perkins Credit: Alamy 5 Anna is now loved up with charity boss Simon Marks Credit: BackGrid And she's clear that even though she puts no labels on her sexuality, she definitely finds being with a woman can be more emotionally complex. 'Dating a guy is, in some ways, less complicated,' Anna, 54, admits. 'Dating a woman means you understand each other implicitly because you're both female. 'Both parties understand that they're emotional creatures. "This can be very challenging and intense, but also very exciting. 'It's wonderful, beautiful and very complex. 'I've loved being in relationships with women, but I find that men are less complicated, less emotional. 'It's a cliché, but as long as you feed them, let them watch footie and the rest, they're happy. 'Whereas it's a whole different ball game when you're with a girl.' Anna was in a relationship with TV director Charles Martin for 18 years. Naked Attraction's Anna Richardson reveals reality of friendship with ex Sue Perkins But when that ended in 2012, she fell for But following an 'excruciatingly painful' They have now been dating for three years and Anna — candid as ever when it comes to intimacy — says 'There's something wonderful about meeting somebody new that makes you realise, 'Oh, I'm not dead from the waist down. "Actually, I can experience amazing sex like I had in my twenties',' said the 'It is possible to recapture it, but it takes work.' Ultimately, Anna insists it is not about whether her lover is male or female — it is about that all-important emotional connection. 'For me, it's about finding the person attractive rather than their sexuality,' she explains. 'Are they floating my boat? Am I into them? 'SEXUAL IDENTITY' "It doesn't matter to me what gender they are. 'I've always been really clear about it, because people do like to stick a label on you — you're gay, you're straight, you're bisexual or whatever. 'But the only label I need is my name.' Recent statistics suggest that more and more women are experimenting with their sexuality. A study by the University of Notre Dame in the US found that women were Although Anna has previously refused to label herself, insisting, 'I have never, ever called myself bisexual', she would always urge people to explore their sexual identity. 'There are far more people questioning their sexuality these days,' she says. 'It is more accepted, but people, going back millennia, have always been gender fluid. It's just the state of being human. 'But we're in the mid-2020s and, with the rise of social media and self-expression, it is more acceptable than ever before. I applaud that. 'At the end of the day, we all just want to be loved.' After three years with Simon, Anna says she is now questioning the next step in their relationship. 5 Anna was in a relationship with TV director Charles Martin for 18 years, until they split in 2012 Credit: Channel4 'We're both in our fifties and relationships are so different now to when you're in your twenties,' she says. 'We've both had broken relationships. 'I was with Sue for eight years and in a very long relationship before that. 'Simon's been through a divorce. "So yeah, we're at that stage now where we're looking at the relationship and wondering what we'll do next. 'What does commitment look like? "Neither of us is in any hurry to get married or anything, but do we move in together? I don't know.' As much as she might be smitten with Simon, the relationship guru admits there are certain benefits to living apart. 'I like my own space. If I want to drop my clothes on the floor in the bedroom, then I will,' she says. 'Do I really want a fella around all the time? And does he want me around all the time? We'll see.' As for her relationship with Sue, Anna says they have since 'I think we have brilliantly navigated coming through a painful break-up and we are now very firm friends,' she says. Being part of Naked Attraction has made me realise there is no such thing as a perfect body — and that's made me more body confident Anna Richardson 'We see each other regularly. We'll be in each other's lives, I hope, for ever. 'We formed a really beautiful friendship. We've got each other's backs and that's what it's all about.' The last series of Naked Attraction aired in March 2024 and, while there were reports that the raunchy show 'I've got everything crossed. People love it — viewers and participants,' she smiles. In an era where surgery, tweakments and social media filters can give us a distorted view of what real bodies look like, Anna says Naked Attraction proves that people come in all shapes and sizes. Hosting the show, she says, has even helped boost her own self-esteem. 'Actually, being part of 'It's made me more accepting of my body. "Whatever you've been born with is perfectly OK, and I'm just very grateful that I've got a healthy body.' For some viewers, 'I must have seen well over a thousand naked penises,' she says. 'I think I've seen every bit and bob going. 5 Anna has hosted Naked Attraction since it began in 2016 Credit: handout "I consider myself to be a kind of honorary gynaecologist, for both men and women.' With so much naked flesh on display, Anna admits that the male contestants can sometimes get a little 'excited'. She adds: 'There have been times when we've had to stop filming because some of the guys were getting a bit frisky. 'We've had to tell them to step outside the room for a few minutes, then rejoin the game when they've calmed down. 'Of course, we get peacocks — excuse the pun — on the show. You've got to be very body confident and I applaud that. "Inevitably, you get fellas who are very pleased with themselves, twitching their pecs and constantly fiddling with their kn*bs. "But that's fellas for you.' She also let slip the reason why female hopefuls ask for the air conditioning to be cranked up, adding: 'When it's cold, their nipples are harder.' 'HOLIDAY FLING' With Naked Attraction on a hiatus, Anna is currently busy with her advice podcast, It Can't Just Be Me, and a true crime podcast, The Mayor And The Mystic. She has also teamed up with iD mobile, who are encouraging Brits to enjoy holiday romances by giving customers inclusive data roaming minutes when they travel abroad. Having enjoyed an 'old-school holiday romance' herself when she was 17, Anna is all for the idea. 'I went camping in the south of France with my mates, met a local French lad called Julien and had a lovely holiday fling,' she recalls. 'We did write to each other for a bit, but sure enough, the letters fizzled out. 'Who knows what might have happened if we'd had mobiles and free data roaming back then?' Anna Richardson has partnered with iD Mobile, the UK's No1 network for roaming, to show how mobile data charges can be a major turn-off for holiday romance. See
The Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I've dated both men and women… I know which sex is easier, says Naked Attraction host Anna Richardson
SHE'S best known for hosting Channel 4's controversial Naked Attraction, but Anna Richardson's own love life is almost as intriguing as the TV dating show. Following the end of an eight-year relationship with comedian and presenter Sue Perkins, Anna is now loved up with charity boss Simon Marks. 5 And she's clear that even though she puts no labels on her sexuality, she definitely finds being with a woman can be more emotionally complex. 'Dating a guy is, in some ways, less complicated,' Anna, 54, admits. 'Dating a woman means you understand each other implicitly because you're both female. 'Both parties understand that they're emotional creatures. "This can be very challenging and intense, but also very exciting. 'It's wonderful, beautiful and very complex. 'I've loved being in relationships with women, but I find that men are less complicated, less emotional. 'It's a cliché, but as long as you feed them, let them watch footie and the rest, they're happy. 'Whereas it's a whole different ball game when you're with a girl.' Anna was in a relationship with TV director Charles Martin for 18 years. Naked Attraction's Anna Richardson reveals reality of friendship with ex Sue Perkins But when that ended in 2012, she fell for telly fave Sue, 55, after — in her words — 'the planets aligned' one night. But following an 'excruciatingly painful' break-up in 2020, the star then fell for current squeeze Simon, a 'lovely man' who she met through friends. They have now been dating for three years and Anna — candid as ever when it comes to intimacy — says Simon, 57, has brought 'a huge injection of energy' to her love life. 'There's something wonderful about meeting somebody new that makes you realise, 'Oh, I'm not dead from the waist down. "Actually, I can experience amazing sex like I had in my twenties',' said the Shropshire -born star. 'It is possible to recapture it, but it takes work.' Ultimately, Anna insists it is not about whether her lover is male or female — it is about that all-important emotional connection. 'For me, it's about finding the person attractive rather than their sexuality,' she explains. 'Are they floating my boat? Am I into them? 'SEXUAL IDENTITY' "It doesn't matter to me what gender they are. 'I've always been really clear about it, because people do like to stick a label on you — you're gay, you're straight, you're bisexual or whatever. 'But the only label I need is my name.' Recent statistics suggest that more and more women are experimenting with their sexuality. A study by the University of Notre Dame in the US found that women were three times more likely than men to identify as bisexual. Although Anna has previously refused to label herself, insisting, 'I have never, ever called myself bisexual', she would always urge people to explore their sexual identity. 'There are far more people questioning their sexuality these days,' she says. 'It is more accepted, but people, going back millennia, have always been gender fluid. It's just the state of being human. 'But we're in the mid-2020s and, with the rise of social media and self-expression, it is more acceptable than ever before. I applaud that. 'At the end of the day, we all just want to be loved.' After three years with Simon, Anna says she is now questioning the next step in their relationship. 5 'We're both in our fifties and relationships are so different now to when you're in your twenties,' she says. 'We've both had broken relationships. 'I was with Sue for eight years and in a very long relationship before that. 'Simon's been through a divorce. "So yeah, we're at that stage now where we're looking at the relationship and wondering what we'll do next. 'What does commitment look like? "Neither of us is in any hurry to get married or anything, but do we move in together? I don't know.' As much as she might be smitten with Simon, the relationship guru admits there are certain benefits to living apart. 'I like my own space. If I want to drop my clothes on the floor in the bedroom, then I will,' she says. 'Do I really want a fella around all the time? And does he want me around all the time? We'll see.' As for her relationship with Sue, Anna says they have since patched up their differences and are good pals. 'I think we have brilliantly navigated coming through a painful break-up and we are now very firm friends,' she says. 'We see each other regularly. We'll be in each other's lives, I hope, for ever. 'We formed a really beautiful friendship. We've got each other's backs and that's what it's all about.' The last series of Naked Attraction aired in March 2024 and, while there were reports that the raunchy show had been cancelled, Anna hopes there will be more. 'I've got everything crossed. People love it — viewers and participants,' she smiles. In an era where surgery, tweakments and social media filters can give us a distorted view of what real bodies look like, Anna says Naked Attraction proves that people come in all shapes and sizes. Hosting the show, she says, has even helped boost her own self-esteem. 'Actually, being part of Naked Attraction has made me realise there is no such thing as a perfect body — and that's made me more body confident,' she admits. 'It's made me more accepting of my body. "Whatever you've been born with is perfectly OK, and I'm just very grateful that I've got a healthy body.' For some viewers, Naked Attraction can be an awkward watch, so spare a thought for Anna, who reckons she has seen it all during filming. 'I must have seen well over a thousand naked penises,' she says. 'I think I've seen every bit and bob going. 5 "I consider myself to be a kind of honorary gynaecologist, for both men and women.' With so much naked flesh on display, Anna admits that the male contestants can sometimes get a little 'excited'. She adds: 'There have been times when we've had to stop filming because some of the guys were getting a bit frisky. 'We've had to tell them to step outside the room for a few minutes, then rejoin the game when they've calmed down. 'Of course, we get peacocks — excuse the pun — on the show. You've got to be very body confident and I applaud that. "Inevitably, you get fellas who are very pleased with themselves, twitching their pecs and constantly fiddling with their kn*bs. "But that's fellas for you.' She also let slip the reason why female hopefuls ask for the air conditioning to be cranked up, adding: 'When it's cold, their nipples are harder.' 'HOLIDAY FLING' With Naked Attraction on a hiatus, Anna is currently busy with her advice podcast, It Can't Just Be Me, and a true crime podcast, The Mayor And The Mystic. She has also teamed up with iD mobile, who are encouraging Brits to enjoy holiday romances by giving customers inclusive data roaming minutes when they travel abroad. Having enjoyed an 'old-school holiday romance' herself when she was 17, Anna is all for the idea. 'I went camping in the south of France with my mates, met a local French lad called Julien and had a lovely holiday fling,' she recalls. 'We did write to each other for a bit, but sure enough, the letters fizzled out. 'Who knows what might have happened if we'd had mobiles and free data roaming back then?'
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Naked Attraction host Anna Richardson sinks claws into 'deeply unethical' Love Island - insisting she 'refuses to watch it in on a point of principle'
Naked Attraction host Anna Richardson has sunk her claws into the 'deeply unethical' ITV2 show Love Island - and has insisted that she 'refuses to watch it in on a point of principle'. The twelfth series of the programme returned to our screens last month and viewers have enjoyed the drama that has come along with it. Love Island, currently hosted by Maya Jama, 30, has become a huge fan favourite since it hit our screens in 2015, and has managed to get 1.4m views across all their platforms for this year's launch. But another popular, but very different show is Naked Attraction - and host Anna thinks that people love the Channel 4 programe so much because it's 'funny' and there are plenty of different bodies on display. While she thinks that Love Island doesn't have as much diversity when it comes to the representation of bodies. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Anna said: 'You're seeing a range of bodies, it makes you feel comfortable about your own [Naked Attraction]. 'And I personally have never, ever watched Love Island, so I kind of refuse, on point of principle, because I think that Love Island is a deeply unethical show. 'So what you're doing is you're showing youth and beauty and rivalry as a betrayal, as some kind of standard that we should be held up to, whereas N aked Attraction does the exact opposite. 'So yeah, I think it's about, I think it's a gloriously bonkers show about acceptance.' She added: 'When you scratch beneath the surface of negative attraction, it's actually about acceptance. 'It is about the fact that nobody's body is perfect. This is about vulnerability. It's about acceptance. 'It's about seeing you for who you really are in all your human glory, and people actually saying, do you know what? 'Whether I've got a stoma, or I have a disability, I've got one leg, or I'm in a wheelchair, whatever happens to be, or I'm a trans person on my journey, all of us deserve to be loved and accepted for who we are.' The programme hit our screens in 2016 and went on to air 65 episodes across seven series. More and more shows are now focusing on sex, with the likes of people losing their virginity on Virgin Island, and couples opening up their relationships on Open House: The Great Sex Experiment. Anna thinks that Naked Attraction has paved the way for those kind of programmes to exist. 'Everybody had a breakdown when Naked Attraction was announced, she told us. 'And, you know, the press went absolutely crazy... "This is a new low for, you know, new low and moral standards on British television". 'And of course, we were trailblazers, so now we've paved the way to things being more open and talked about and accepting. 'I've watched both Open House and Virgin Island, and I think they're both incredible formats. 'In terms of Open House, what they're doing, very cleverly there is just merely reflecting the fact that polyamory is on the rise, people are sexually open and curious. 'And Virgin Island? I think that's an extraordinary idea, that there are sex therapists out there that ultimately are prepared to have sex with people who have psychological issues around their virginity. 'Again, what you're dealing with here is issues of being vulnerable and people being human. Yeah, so I think they're both fantastic formats.' Many are desperate to know if the show will ever make a return, and Anna is hoping that it does happen in the future. 'I am desperate for it to come back,' Anna told us. 'I want a male campaign that basically says "Bring back Naked Attraction." 'It is wildly popular. People absolutely love it. It is funny. 'It's about acceptance. And I think at the moment, in a world where we're all actually a bit p***ed off and we feel ground down in this country, you know, there's a huge amount of division and anger.' She added: 'So the fact is, the truth is, I have no idea whether it's coming back. 'I really hope so, because it's a fun show to do, and it does very well, but I have no idea about about the politics of whether it is or not, but let's keep our fingers crossed.' The telly star has helped people try and find a suitable partner by stripping down and baring all on Naked Attraction, but there appears to be a more popular way of meeting people these days - and it includes being in a hotter climate. Anna has joined forces with iD Mobile, who have recently found out that more Brits than ever are dating abroad. She told us: 'The [dating] landscape in the UK is becoming more diminished, and people are going abroad, and off the back of that, they are then offering inclusive Data Roaming to 50 different countries that people can find love worldwide, basically with ease, without landing a huge bill at the end of it. 'But the the survey results are very, very interesting, just just given the fact that we know that 45% of people say that their best romantic experience happened abroad. 'Most of us have had a holiday romance. 'We know that around a third of people use dating apps when they go abroad to hook up with locals, but also because they're saying that actually, they get a more authentic experience of the town or the city that they're in if they use a language app or dating app.' Anna Richardson has partnered with iD Mobile to explore the rise in overseas dating and highlight how roaming charges are preventing millions of Brits from making meaningful connections abroad. With inclusive Roaming in more destinations than any UK network, iD Mobile is helping holidaymakers stay connected for love, fun and everything in between. Visit for more information.
Daily Mirror
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Other X-rated shows force Love Island to push boundaries - but at what cost?
Returning to unedited Love Island sex on camera likely to produce more problems for show makers than solutions Love Island's last throw of the dice will be as sad as it is fascinating to watch. We We now know that the decision-makers of ITV 's reality show will return to broadcasting scenes of contestants having sex, should they arise. X-rated capers were edited out a few years back after the likes of Emma-Jane Woodham, Terry Walsh, Tommy Fury, Molly Mae and many others threw caution and their clothes to the wind. Guests to the villa mucked about like rabbits as their continuous on-screen copulation quickly became a feature of the first few series. But emotional and mental health concerns in the heightened, ruthless era of social media - not to mention issues related to broadcasting sexually risqué material - saw the Love Island guidelines tightened up in 2018. Less became more as at least something was left to the imagination from that period. Now we're back. From the noises ahead of its return on Monday night, it would appear sex on camera is being revisited as a solution to the show's plunging ratings. Especially with mainstream media outlets currently struggling to resist their temptation to try and normalise the likes of adult performer Bonnie Blue. On current dating shows such as Channel 4 's Naked Attraction, participants already choose partners on the basis of what their private parts look like. Forget their charm, charisma or personalities, contestants stand starkers in pods that first show their lower halves - which are examined by the picker and TV viewers - then the top. Imagine going into work the day after being rejected (or even selected!) off that. On the E4 show, Open House, couples arrive at a luxury retreat to test whether opening up their relationships to have sex with other couples or individuals will strengthen their own. And yes, the cameras do switch to infra red when both parties decide they'd like two (or three) to become one. That's before you get to the streaming shows on Netflix and YouTube not bound by Ofcom guidelines. Love Island's lack of coitus by comparison has clearly led producers to row back on their performative consideration for contestants' love-term futures. Never mind the threat of losing commercial deals as brands steer clear of Islanders swerving out go their lane to engage in conduct incompatible with their values. Visits to 'the restaurant', 'the nail shop' and the other euphemisms for sex are welcome again. You'd suspect the selection process for this new series will have been conducted with willing participants in mind. Producers will doubtless be delighted with another Terry and Emma-Jane who, in 2016, had sex on top of the covers in the shared bedroom. Or Kem Cetinay and Amber Davies, who had to deny having unprotected sex on the way to winning the 2017 series. You'd also be forgiven for thinking show bosses would have no compunction about broadcasting just that little bit too much, to escape with a ticking off from toothless Ofcom but grab the headlines and returning viewers that would make it worth it. Because like that other fading concept, Big Brother, whose producers kick contestants off the show for doing exactly the kind of thing they throw big money at them for, Love Island chiefs want controversy. They want notoriety. They want to go viral. They want people to care again. The clue, though, is in the name. Surely the participants want to find love, not sex. Surely they are there to establish emotional connections and foster lasting relationships. Not to be on a televised lads or girls' holiday. Shows like the Netflix hit Love Is Blind smash it in several countries because they focus on bonding, not boning. And once the boundaries on Love Island are pushed, what then? Would every contestant have to be willing to have sex on camera? And what does it say about our society that so many viewers simply shrug their shoulders over it? Because it might titillate and fascinate once again - but it will throw up more questions than answers. Ends
