Anna Williamson - Celebs Go Dating 2025
Category: Press Pack ArticleYou’re back for your 11th series, what do you love about Celebs Go Dating?
I'm so blessed to be a part of Celebs Go Dating, you know, every year. I never take it for granted that I get asked back. In this weird and wonderful world of TV no one is a dead cert guarantee, but I pour my heart and soul into this show, really I do. I live and breathe it. I love what we do. And I just think there is no show more perfect for me in the sense that I wear loads of different hats in my career, and weirdly, a comedic side of me seems to come out in some of my other work, like my podcasting work. But underpinning of it, you know, I am a very conscientious therapist and coach, and I love people. I love working with people. And who better than celebrities to unpick and unpack and get to know the people below the headlines? So, I love it.
And obviously you have such a great relationship with Paul, how important is your friendship to the success of the show?
Oh, yeah, we're best mates. I really do think it's so important. I think everyone sees the relationship that we have. We are the best of friends, we have many other different projects we work on, but we are the same person in just two different bodies. We come at things from a professional standpoint through quite a very similar lens, and that's purely coincidental. But also he's the biggest prankster in the world, as am I. We're like brother and sister, but we have each other's back through and through. And for me, and I know for him too, both of us being part of this show really is what keeps us also coming back each year as well, because I come to work with my best mates.
How has having Tara on board changed the dynamic and what do you think she brings to the show?
You know what? I think it's really hard for somebody to come in new to establish a professional relationship. And every credit to her, you know, she joined us a couple of series ago, and she's just the most wonderful breath of fresh air and she's very much part of our little motley crew now. It would be weird if she wasn't here now. With Tom we’ve just created this little quadrangle. She calls Paul and I the mum and the dad and she's the naughty aunt. And I think that's a really good way of describing the dynamic that we bring to the show now. Her knowledge around human communications and her sex positivity is really refreshing. It's so nice to have some more female energy because I'll be honest with Paul and Tom, there's far too much testosterone!
Your views on sex and relationships might differ from Tara’s, do you think that’s a good thing?
Absolutely. And I think that's a sign of a really respectful working relationship when you can appreciate and respect somebody else's viewpoint, their background, their learned opinion, their lived experience. We don't have to agree with everything. And I think that makes the world a richer place. I think it's far too boring nowadays that we all seem to be silenced into not being able to have an opinion. Or feeling too entitled to have an opinion almost, and that our opinion is the right one. And I think I very much embody that. Your opinion is your opinion, doesn't matter whether it's right or wrong. But I think the importance is respecting other people’s. And life is about learning. I find it fascinating when people have different schools of thought to me, I'm learning all the time. I'm curious all the time.
What have you learned from Paul over the years?
I feel like I want to give him a shady comment, but I'm gonna have to give him a nice one! He is an extraordinary human. I'm very, very lucky to have him as a very close friend and confidant. I would go to Paul with my deepest, darkest worry. I've learned with Paul that less is more sometimes and just taking that space to sit back and analyse. And as someone, myself, I'm very frenetic, I'm very energetic, which is me as a person. I like being that person. It's taking that light and shade.
What's your first impressions of the new celebs at the agency?
I think we've got an explosive series this year. I mean every year we never know what you're going to get. You know, last year was good. This cast are really different from each other and I think good mix of ages as well. I think they're the most diverse we've had with regards to what challenges they're bringing to the agency and I think it's going to be quite difficult to manage some of them for sure!
Are you proud of the fact that you allow audiences to see different sides of these celebrities?
It's my favourite part and why we do the show is to do exactly that. They're just human beings, you know, and it's finding out who the person is underneath the headlines, underneath the TV editing. And I love it. I love making my own judgment and giving everyone a fair ride. As a therapist, one of the underpinnings of my training is UPR, Unconditional Positive Regard. I give everybody that fair, non judgmental space until I'm proven wrong.