While reality fans have been describing ITV's upcoming dating show My Mum, Your Dad as a middle-aged Love Island, host Davina McCall, 55, has revealed that she coined that nickname – and she's been trying to scrub it ever since.

The new series takes a group of parents looking for a second chance at romance and invites them to a country house retreat, where they hope to find love with another eligible empty-nester. What they don't know is that their grown-up children are watching their every move from a bunker down the road.

Speaking about the show, Davina revealed that she originally pitched the idea of Love Island for an older generation for ITV Commissioning Editor Amanda Stavri and spoke about it on a podcast.

"It’s my fault that it got called Midlife Love Island – that’s what I called it in an email to Amanda. I’ve been trying to burn that name ever since!" she said.

She added that in her pitch email, she put forward a few of her friends to go on the show. "I wrote out five bios of friends of mine – it was hilarious, I really went to town. But Amanda was really sweet, she got back to me quickly and said, ‘We’re not going to do that!

"She said, 'I'm looking at another format, and I'll keep you posted.' We stayed in touch and then I heard that we got the show. I just can’t believe it’s happened because I really do believe in it so much."

Eight parents take part on the show, from 51-year-old Scottish baby clinic assistant Caroline to Essex PE teacher and single dad Elliott.

While their kids are watching from a location down the road, Davina said that there are no cameras in the bedrooms so they won't witness anything potentially scarring – but there are still moments that have them grabbing "cushions in front of their faces".

“It could be over something quite small because they’ve never seen their parents in a date situation,” Davina reveals. “For me personally speaking, I’d rather watch the hint of love and a moment of tenderness – that’s so exciting. Jumping into bed and shagging, once you’ve seen it, it doesn’t mean anything. This really means something – when you see people falling in love.”

Davina shares three children with her second husband, presenter Matthew Robertson, however the pair separated in 2017. She is currently dating hairstylist Michael Douglas, and the couple moved in together earlier this year.

My Mum, Your Dad starts on Monday 11th September, airing Monday to Friday at 9pm on ITV.

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