A young Irish man has charmed audiences after appearing on the UK version of First Dates.
Damien is 24-years-old and has Tourettes, but refuses to let his illness get in the way of his hopes at finding true love.
The Derry native was open about his condition on the Chanel 4 show, admitting that he was diagnosed in 2013 right after a break-up. He also stated that it can be hard to live with sometimes, especially for those around him, but he finds it easier to laugh about it.
“I couldn’t even speak because I was tic-ing constantly.
“I remember my dad getting really upset and I could tell that he was trying to hold back tears and so because of that I thought the best way to deal with that was to joke about it.
“I don’t know if it will go or if it will stay, but either way I’ve changed and that’s not necessarily a bad thing,” he said.
Although Damien sometimes shouts out random profanities (as he did on the show), his sheer honesty appears have have made him a big hit with audiences, and with fellow First Dates contestant Kai.
The pair seem to have hit it off right away and have been on a number of dates since- much to the delight of First Dates fans. They took to Twitter to express their joy.
We’re rooting for these two!
