First Dates: Viewers were heartbroken that contestant lived in a shed as a child

First Dates viewers were left heartbroken when they learned about a contestant having lived in a shed.

When 24-year-old Max appeared on this week’s show and was paired up with Esther, 22, they bonded over their passion for language and linguistics.

Max described his ideal woman as ‘a combination of a Disney princess and Tony Hawk the skateboarder… without the genitalia.’

Yet Max apparently had a reason for his awkwardness that affected audiences upon hearing the story.

‘My step-dad, I never ever got on with him, I didn’t have the typical upbringing’ he revealed.

‘It’s a funny one with my parents because I spent so many hours alone. So I was in the wooden shed.’

The young man described his teen years and his penchant for poetry: ‘When my little sister was born when we moved house, from the age of 11 to the age of 16, I was in the garden shed. It was wood but inside of it was painted white.

‘I had a bed in there and I had an electric radiator so it wasn’t 100 per cent bad.

‘I would just sit in there and draw and write poetry.’

Naturally, viewers flooded Twitter to express their sadness at his upbringing and how tragic they thought it was.

Max also spoke about his love for school because it got him the attention he didn’t receive at home: ‘I can remember thinking “I love school”,’ he added.

‘I love school so much. It was because of the attention, probably. I was almost upset how much I loved school. I get upset thinking about it now.

‘When I was sixteen I got taken out essentially… put into a care home. I was very detached from my parents. I think that was the root cause of me having a strange approach to romantic relationships.

‘It completely changed my life.’

Catch First Dates each Thurssday, at 10pm, on Channel 4.

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