Gogglebox star Stephen Webb defended by dating expert over 'inappropriate behaviour'

Former Gogglebox star Stephen Webb has been defended by Celebs Go Dating expert Anna Williamson after viewers criticised his behaviour on the show. Throughout the series, Stephen hasn't had much luck with his dates, with one even rating him zero out of 10 in feedback.

Viewers have taken to social media to criticise the reality star's "smutty" approach to dating as "awful" and "embarrassing". He also received a stern talking-to from dating expert Paul C Brunson about his behaviour.

Although his feedback has improved, the 53 year old is still searching for his perfect match from the agency. He believes that age gaps and his unique sense of humour could be factors, the Express reports.

In a recent emotional moment on the show, he spoke about the negative feedback: "It's hard. It's really hard. I'm a hot mess. My head's all over the place."

"I feel like my whole personality has been destroyed."

Speaking exclusively to Reach PLC, Anna, 43, said despite calls for Stephen to be cancelled, she doesn't believe this should happen as he "has a heart of gold".

She said: "We're here to learn and I get it, I get people's reactions, they're seeing a snippet of what happens on the show.

"What they don't see are the background chats that we have, when we turn up to work in the morning, and we have a big hug and a kiss. Stephen really pulled at my heart strings actually, because I could tell that he had never heard such truthful feedback.

"It became very apparent as that feedback was unravelling that, actually he just didn't realise how his behaviour was coming across because he's not like that. He has a heart of gold and inexperience was coming through in his dating etiquette, and he doesn't deserve the backlash."

"But, I just want people to stick with it and I hope people have a big dose of humble pie at the end with him."

Stephen joined Celebs Go Dating after parting ways with his husband and Gogglebox co-star Daniel Lustig, who has been cheering him on from the sidelines.

Speaking about his dating experiences on the Suddenly Single podcast, Stephen admitted his dating skills are "rusty" and suggested his old-fashioned humour might not resonate with younger dates and viewers.

He said: "I have got a 1970s Benny Hill sense of humour which doesn't go down well with the under 30s." Stephen also pointed out that many people seem "ready to be offended" and are quick to "cancel you".

He further revealed that he wasn't seeking anything serious on the show and only participated for the financial gain.

Gogglebox will air again tonight at 9pm on Channel 4.