A Caister mother-of-two has told of her romantic trip to the ‘Isle of Fernando’s’, watched by millions on cult ITV dating show Take Me Out.

Rachel Green, 30, landed a date with contestant Henry from Leeds in the series finale last Saturday, presented by host Paddy McGuinness.

The receptionist, who works at Gapton Hall, revealed that after meeting on the show they were whisked off to different airports - the girls to Gatwick and the men to Luton.

And the next time she set eyes on Henry was on the tropical Isle of Fernando’s - more commonly known as Tenerife.

“My chaperone took me to my date,” said Rachel. “I did a piece to camera about my expectations, then I actually met Henry on a bridge.

“He said what we’d be doing for our activity and he had a couple of driving suits, and then we were separated again.”

She said the film crew would not let them speak to each other without the cameras rolling, and the day was carefully managed.

Their afternoon activity was go-karting, and the flirting began.

“He pretended he couldn’t drive at all and I was dreading it as I’m a bit of a control freak anyway,” smiled Rachel. “But he was just pulling my leg.”

When her turn to drive came around she managed a single lap before one of the tyres went flat.

“I think it was his fault,” she reasoned. “He asked if he could still take me to dinner, and I said I’ll think about it.”

TA reserve Rachel said they had a lot in common and there was “definitely something about him”.

But she concluded: “It had sort of run its course within the time of the show.”

Her experience being one of the ‘flirty 30’ came about after she applied last summer, and the show was filmed in December 2012.

After a nervous wait she drove to a friend’s house in Essex to see her episode air, and said she was pleased with the result.

“The show is very cleverly edited - sometimes in my favour and sometimes not so much - but that’s what makes good TV,” noted Rachel. “It’s the nature of the beast.

“The support during and since the show has been overwhelming, especially through Facebook and Twitter. Obviously there has been some negativity, but the fact these people felt the need to comment at all shows I’m doing something interesting and different.”

She feared former colleagues in the north of England would think she had gained weight due to unflattering camera-work.

But she said her children are proud of her new-found fame, and added: “It’s been an amazing experience filming a prime-time TV show that’s been so popular nationwide. I didn’t go on there expecting to find love - it was purely for fun. But I did find a new group of friends and that’s priceless.”