I regret starring on Come Dine with Me and will NEVER do TV again – what happened to me after filming was horrendous

A FORMER Come Dine With Me contestant has revealed their regret over taking part in the show – and will never do reality TV again following the ‘horrendous’ experience.

The Channel 4 show has been on our screens since 2005 and sees five strangers from the same part of the country competing to win cash for hosting the best dinner party.

While the show’s commentary and regular spats between contestants can make for entertaining viewing, in the age of social media, it can be a different story for the participants once their episodes air.

One male former contestant, who took part in Come Dine With Me back in 2011, has opened up about his experience in an exclusive chat with The Sun Online.

The man, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “When you look at some of the social media platforms that go around those shows, people only see a snapshot impression from that half hour show.

“With Come Dine With Me, they arrived at my house at 9am and were still there at 2am filming, so it’s hours and hours of filming which is condensed into 30 minutes.

“It’s the most controversial bits that get pasted up together and so it’s not truly reflective of what’s actually happened.

“They make sure they get four people who are bound not to get on because otherwise it’s boring telly.

“But it can be quite leading questions when they ask you about the menu or ‘are you keen on the fancy dress option’ and they’re almost setting you up to behave a certain way.”

The contestant felt the show was “very cheap reality TV” which allows people to make immediate assumptions about the contestants and post nasty comments online.

He said: “Some of it is quite horrendous stuff that members of the British public are coming up with.

“What they write on Facebook and so on, it’s not good. You get trolled and your Facebook page, suddenly everyone wants to be your friend and it’s horrible, it really is horrible.”

The contestant felt that editing down the footage to a 30 minute episode meant it wasn’t a “true reflection” of who he was.

He added that he felt more could be done regarding after-care for the participants, saying: “The impact on those individuals is horrendous. When the film crew leave you, probably six months before it’s actually aired, that’s your dealings with Channel 4 done.

“They will not offer you any support, help or anything else following the airing of the show. They don’t contact you or anything.”

“It left a really bad taste in my mouth”

The trolling continued for many years thanks to the fact Come Dine With Me is repeated on a regular basis, leaving the former contestant in need of support to the point that he called the Samaritans.

He said: “I would never do anything like reality again, absolutely not. I don’t consider myself a stupid person but I feel a little bit naïve and I feel like I was lured into something.

“I used to enjoy the programme before I went on it and I thought it was genuinely about people going to be sociable and have a meal but no, it left a really bad taste in my mouth.

“For five or six years after it kept repeating, and people kept coming up to me where I worked asking ‘was that you on Come Dine With Me?’ it’s not good but it’s something that doesn’t go away quickly.”

“That week it aired I felt awful and I did call Samaritans because you’ve got social media platforms and it’s all horrible, vile stuff being said about you.”

“It’s a lot more of an intense process, there is a lot more trolling going on and I don’t think you are prepared for that and Channel 4 don’t offer you any support.”

The Sun Online has contacted Channel 4 for comment.