Begin Again with Davina McCall - Begin Again Moments: It’s Never Too Late To Fall In Love

Episode Date: October 25, 2026

In this episode of Begin Again Moments, Davina brings together two heartfelt conversations with the late Married at First Sight relationship expert Mel Schilling and Great British Bake Off star Prue Leith, exploring why it's never too late to find love, rebuild trust and open your heart to new beginnings. Mel Schilling shares her expert dating advice for finding love after heartbreak, overcoming the fear of rejection and rediscovering your self-worth. From navigating dating apps to understanding what you truly deserve in a relationship, Mel reveals why learning to love yourself is the first step towards finding someone new. Prue Leith shares the beautiful, unexpected story of falling in love with her husband John at 70, reminding us that romance, connection and happiness have no age limit. A hopeful reminder that no matter your age or what you've been through, it's never too late to love and be loved. To hear the full conversations, watch the complete episodes on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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I think it's funny because I also believe that people slightly fall in love with your relationship. I think there is something so wholesome but also inspirational about seeing two people just get on. Yeah, it is nice, isn't it? And there are so few people, if we're honest, in couples that really do. He is good fun and we do get on well. And it's very interesting. One of the moments when I thought really I could spend my life with the sky was we went to an exhibition, modern art. And he goes, if we go into a gallery or an exhibition, he walks all the way around very quickly and looks at it.

He sort of scans everything. And then he goes back and looks at what he wants to. I started the first one. I read the information. And I'm very slow and methodical, and so I'm miles behind him. And at the end of it, he said, was there anything here you would take home? And I said, absolutely, I'd take home that backpagnating and that thing. And he said, snap.

And we've been doing it ever since. And we've never not agreed with which was the best painting in it. Wow. Or maybe two paintings, but we always know what we hate. And, you know, often that sort of taste or art taste grows over years together. Yes. You know, I was 70 when I met John and he was 64. Very set in our ways.

He did a life in fashion and designing clothes and things. How did you meet? We met in a friend's house. And it was quite funny because the woman who I, a friend and I were taking, was sharing a cab to get back from Halifax to go to, for her to go to this party and for me to go home. And I said, let's drop me first because I'm on the way. And she said, no, I'm in such a hurry because I've got, it's such an important dinner party. and my sister and I are giving it

and it's me and her giving it so I have to be there and she was panicking and very jumpy about this dinner party and so I said all right so we dropped her and she said come in for a drink

and I went in and this dinner party was a table for four with candles and champagne and beautiful lighting and all flowers and I mean it was an obvious

set up for four people Right. And these were two sisters who were giving the party. And John was one of the... So he was being match made with one of the sisters. Yes, he was definitely to be... He was designed for one of them. And was it...

Either of either, I think. Was it an instant attraction? I am not for me. I was so, felt such a gooseberry that I just wanted to get out. You got a conversation when you know you shouldn't be there. And so I wasn't concentrating at all. and I didn't listen to anything he said. But apparently I told him that I was going to Canada,

which I was on a book tour. And so the next day, this guy arrives on what I, I'm so unobservant that I thought he was driving a quad. You know, it was a big machine. Yes. As I was a sort of farmer's quad. And he said, oh, I brought you a letter. I thought you'd gone to Canada.

So I said, And I'm the guy from last night. So wait, he saw you. He thought you'd gone to Canada. He wrote you a letter. Yeah. And came to your house to deliver it. Yes.

Wow. Heen. Yeah. I think he and said, the letter said, I know you're in Canada, but I just wanted to tell you where I live and also suggest we have a walk with our dogs. Because he talked about our dogs when I come back. So I said, well, let's go. now, in fact, I met him because just as I walked out of the front door

with my secretary, my PA, we walked out together, we were going to walk the dog around the field. So I said, well, we're going to walk the dog around the field, why don't you come to? Which I don't think was what he had blood. When he said, let's walk the dog together, he wasn't quite meaning with someone else.

And with my PA. Anyhow, the three of us walked around the field. And Francisco, my PA, very quickly got the message that she was the good screen now. So she went out when we, he came in for a drink and she went off. And you know that thing when you fall in love and you just talk all night? Yes, yes. It's just so exciting.

And he was chattering away. I realize now he was quite nervous because I know him well enough. But he seemed to me totally confident. And he was just talking about. history. I mean, I remember him walking up and down. I was sitting on the sofa and he was walking about and he was talking to me about travelling and why. And he loved it. He does. He does love it and so do I. And then we went out to dinner and then I went, then he said, would you come to my house and I'll cook you dinner and I thought, oh he could cook. Wow.

When I got there he cooked me Haggis and you know Haggis, nobody has to cook Haggis come some ready made. Yes. It must be in the first ready meal because nobody would want to actually cook haggis. So you just heat it up in the microwave. So it haggis and bash neaps because he's a Scot. Right.

And of course I love that and it was absolutely delicious. So he always said, well, it worked because she stayed for breakfast. And unfortunately it was the last thing he cooked for me. Oh. Because the next time, also that first couple of weeks, we were talking about beef, what was the best beef and he, and he, I was so impressed because he bought some Dexter steaks and Dexter are a wonderful breed of, they're a bit like Aberde and Angus, but they're much smaller.

Right. And they're very flavorful, but they're quite small. Anyhow, they had two fillet steaks, Dexter fillet steaks. I mean, nobody buys filet steaks. fillet steaks anymore. They cost an arm and a leg. So I was really impressed that he had walked two fillet but dexter steaks. And he put the frying pan on the heat and he put a blob of butter in it and it was just beginning to melt. And then he put the stakes in and I just jumped it. I mean, there's only one rule about steaks. You get the hat. First of all,

it's not a good idea to use butter straight away because it burns. You need to get a little a bit of oil and put it, get it so hot that the pan is absolutely smoking so that you get that lovely seared. Yes. And the juice doesn't run out the stakes. And then you could put some butter it. Anyway, I was just so anxious. I mean, I wasn't thinking about him.

I was just thinking about that the best steaks in the world and you're ruining them. But I pushed him out of the way and I... Sorted it. And I cooked the... Sorted it. So I've been cooking up since. No. That was the last thing.

You've made a rod for your own back? Yeah, but I don't care. Actually, I love cooking. And if you asked him what he lives on, he'd say leftovers. I do remind him that, you know, the only reason there are leftovers is because I must have done some prime cooking at some point. Leftovers from what? Yes, exactly.

How long have you two been together now? 16? Yeah, 15. 15 years? Something like that. I mean, you know what's really nice, Prue? What? is that when you talk about him, it's like you're talking about a new love.

You look happy and excited. He's a lovely guy. And I'm very lucky. I mean, not many people have one happy marriage, never mind two. Yes. The new Subaru Cross Trek Hybrid is the most fuel-efficient cross-trek yet. That means less time filling your tank and more time filling your day. More court time.

More ride time. More lake time. More camp time, more go time. The new 2027 Subaru Cross Trek Hybrid. Consumer Reports top-rated subcompact SUV. Stop by your local Subaru dealership or visit Subaru.ca to learn more. Consumer Reports does not endorse products or services. In 2002, Ryan Wedding was an Olympic snowboarder at the top of his game.

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How did you put yourself out there? What made you think I am now ready? Do you know what was interesting? And this is probably the only way I would have got myself into that space. It was through my work. So I'd been a psychologist for 20-odd years and I decided to retrain as a dating coach because that was my passion. That was, you know, because I was in that world and, you know, all the friends,

I loved having those conversations about dating and all the nuance and people would often come to me for advice and discussion. So I thought, I'm going to actually do this seriously. And they need your help. I mean. Yes. That's right, because there's so much psychology there. Yes.

Particularly around the self-love and, you know, self-worth. So I started reaching. training. And as I was learning these methodologies, I started applying them to myself. So I think, looking back, I think I was telling myself that I was just doing experiments. But actually. I was sucking myself in. I was actually really going in there for real. But I was, I think the way I allowed myself to let my walls down was, oh, this is just for my work and it's for my clients. So I started experimenting and dating and putting some of my, principles into practice.

Tell me what kind of walls you had. Oh, sky high. Very much about do not get close. My girlfriends would say if I went out to a bar, I had F off written across my forehead. But where did that come from? I think hurt, you know, early young relationships with careless boys.

you know, in the 80s and 90s, who didn't know better. I think I can say that now. I think if it was happening now, I'd say, get a grip, mate. But looking back then where... They were young and they didn't know anybody, yeah. Right. They didn't know how to treat girls. And we didn't know what we deserved.

So I feel like I put myself in so many precarious positions, so many unsafe positions. Which is why now a big part of the dating work I do is around dating safety, particularly for women and knowing those boundaries and how to protect yourself. But I think I got myself into too many positions that made me feel uncomfortable and unsafe so that when I grew up a little bit and was ready to start having adult relationships, I was like, I don't know, don't trust.

It took a lot for me to trust. I mean, what's interesting is that this is really, I think, for people who are maybe second-time rounders or who are dating little, little bit later in life. This is the biggest barriers, the problem with trusting. And I've got a couple of friends of mine, including a man who got catfished and blackmailed from going on a dating app. And it's devastating, I think, to your confidence and ability to carry on or continue on

those kind of apps. How did you start then? And what, I mean, what would be maybe your advice to anybody? I mean, you've got tons of it, I know. Like, what would be your advice to anybody wanting to broach the apps again who may have just been like, do you know what, I just can't be asked anymore? Yes, I really want to talk to our listeners who are finding themselves coming out of long relationships.

All of a sudden single again, you know, maybe in your 40s, 50s, 60, 70s and starting again, all the rules have changed. Not just the rules, but the roles as well. Yes. And the tools. So there's some practical aspects there that you can get out of the way really quickly, particularly if you've got kids, nieces, nephews, grandkids, get them on the tech with you. You know, don't be daunted by it because you can surround yourself by people who can say, right,

come here, mum, come in, nan, I'm going to help you create a profile. You know, you can get the tech stuff sorted, so don't worry about that. Put that to aside. I think the bigger, more important stuff is how you are going to choose to step into this next chapter of your life. And what is your dating brand? Now, that might sound like a funny thing to say. A wait. Right?

I love that. A brand. You're a brand. How are you going to sell a brand? Exactly. Right? Yes. I love that.

I mean, we talk about it in our careers all the time. What's my brand? What's my social media brand? But what's your personal dating brand? So that is, once you figure that out, you can then make sure that the outside matches the inside. Okay. And that's where authenticity comes from. Okay.

So here in the brand. Look, how would you identify your brand? Great starting point is your personal values. Okay. Oh, wait. Is this what we talked about? This is homework, Davina. I've got homework.

I had homework. Can I just say I really took it very, very seriously. Oh, I love that. So, I think, so in fact, before we get the chart out, let's explain why, so you're thinking up your brand, what's important to me. Can you just talk me through values and why they're important? Absolutely. Well, even before values, let's even take a step back before that, which is the self-awareness piece. Right.

Because any personal. It's the triangle. This is the triangle. This is my pyramid. So the pyramid at the bottom of the pyramid is self-awareness. I think any step towards self-development or personal development has to start with looking at yourself. Yes. And this is something that I find so often, particularly in a lot of the TV work that I do,

where people are sort of fronting up and saying, okay, I'm ready, ready for a new relationship or ready to do things differently without first taking accountability for maybe mistakes they've made in the past or, you know, issues they've had, pain they haven't dealt with. They haven't done their work, the work on the self. That's really where you need to start. What does a sunny getaway with Air Canada sound like? Sunny Jamaica moves to its own rhythm. Rio comes alive long after the sun goes down.

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