AN OTLEY businesswoman has spoken about the “unreal” experience of being filmed for a hit TV dating show.

Millions of viewers saw Alicia Barber appear in four episodes of ITV’s Take Me Out in January and February.

The 24 year old, who markets Otley-based family firm Barber’s Tobacconist /Artamis Gifts, had initially applied to take part as a joke.

But her application was successful and she ended up being chosen for a date by Canadian Glenn – a Glasgow-based champion bagpipe player.

The two didn’t hit it off, with Alicia blaming Glenn’s dodgy dress sense and inability to wear matching socks.

During their date on the fictional isle of Fernando’s, actually part of Tenerife, she told him: “I’m going to be honest with you. When I saw your socks today, I thought oh my God – what have I done?

“They’re a bit crazy, a bit outrageous.”

Reflecting on her once-in-a-lifetime brush with fame, she said: “We were whisked off to the isle and went kayaking for our date.

“Unfortunately we weren’t a love match.

“Glenn wore odd socks and it turns out I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder about matching socks, so we could never be together!

“Glenn was a great guy but just not for me.”

Alicia and Glenn also had CCTV cameras watching their every more for a full 24 hours, while they stayed in a villa, for the show’s spin-off ITV2 programme, Take Me Out: The Gossip.

The show covering their date was aired on Valentine’s Day, but despite the lack of romance, Alicia has no regrets about taking part.

She said: “I applied last summer as a bit of a joke among my friends; I’d been single for 18 months and been on some pretty crazy/horrible dates, so they joked I’d have to go on Take Me Out to find someone.

“When it was confirmed I’d be on, it was all still a little bit unreal and my family thought it was hilarious.

“The studio experience was a little bit surreal, especially having a live audience only metres away, but the host, Paddy McGuinness, was lovely and is just like he is on the TV and the whole experience was incredible.”