Paddy McGuinness thanks ITV for ‘taking a punt’ on him and Take Me Out

Paddy McGuinness has thanked ITV for taking "a punt" on him and ‘Take Me Out’ 10 years ago – after the show was axed.
The 46-year-old TV presenter has hosted all 11 series of the game show, but after ITV decided to pull the plug on the programme, he has thanked the channel for giving him a chance.
Speaking in a video shared on his Instagram, he said: "Hello friends, well after 11 series it’s time to say goodbye to ‘Take Me Out’.
"Eight weddings, six babies, and a generation of youngsters who have grown up watching us on Saturday night TV.
"Over 10 years ago ITV took a punt on myself and the show, and for that I’ll be eternally grateful."
Paddy also admitted he was "proud" of the programme for putting "dating shows back on the TV map".
He added: "Ten years, that was before Tinder and Snapchat, Twitter was a little baby, Instagram, wasn’t a thing, and WhatsApp was just witchcraft.
"What I’m most proud of is the success of ‘Take Me Out’, it put dating shows back on the TV map.
"Thank you to all the boys who braved the Love Lift, and most importantly to the stars of the show – the girls.
"I’m going to miss spending my Saturday nights with you.
"Loads of love and for one last time it’s lights out, all out."
Paddy then performed a mic drop with his daughter’s pink plastic microphone, and he then said: "Right, better get to the Job Centre."
Paddy’s comments come after ITV confirmed the show had been shelved.
An ITV spokesperson said: "We’ve decided to say goodbye to ‘Take Me Out’."
A TV source told The Sun newspaper: "ITV and Paddy have done all the specials you can eke out of a dating show, so it’s been decided it’s time for it to go.
"As with many shows, ratings have slid a bit in recent years. But it will go down as a big success – it’s had more weddings than ‘Blind Date’."
The series – which has aired more than 100 episodes – focused on a single man arriving in the "Love Lift", and he was then tasked with convincing 30 girls to keep their lights on for him.
After several rounds, he then had the chance to pick a girl from those left with their lights on, who he would then take on a date to the Isle of Fernando’s – a fictional location in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife.
The show saw Paddy coin the catchphrase "No likey, no lighty!" in reference to the girls being able to switch off their light if they weren’t interested in the single man.