Paul O’Grady says he hopes his pal Cilla Black would approve of him hosting Blind Date

PAUL O'Grady has already received the approval of Cilla Black's son Robert Willis after it was revealed he will be hosting the new revamped version of Blind Date.

But the 61-year-old comic has admitted his close pal Cilla has "impossible shoes to fill" and he hoped the late star isn't up there "throwing plates" at him for taking on the job.

Cilla fronted Blind Date for 18 years, pairing up lonely singletons with a bit of help from her faceless co-star “Our Graham”.

In March, The Sun revealed that the lovable Scouser was to take the reigns of the iconic dating show when it is relaunched on Channel 5 later this year.

Speaking to Mirror about the show, Paul admitted: "It's impossible shoes to fill, never mind hard. Cilla did it for so long."

He continued: "I hope she won't be throwing plates at me. I mention her loads of times."

Cilla, who died in August 2015 following a fall at her Spanish villa, hosted the show on ITV for nearly two decades before quitting in 2003.

Paul was a close pal of Cilla’s, and read a moving eulogy at her funeral in 2015.

When his appointment was announced, Paul said: “Blind Date is an incredibly special family show which brought laughter, tears and joy to TV viewers.

“I am honoured to present the brand new series and after speaking to Channel 5, I know the series is in safe hands."

The Sun revealed Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison had been the early favourite to replace Cilla when the classic TV series was revealed to be returning to screens.

While she won't be presenting, she will be involved in the reboot, which starts this summer.

Blind Date will be brought up to date “while paying respect to the traditions” by allowing gay and lesbian singletons to take part.

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