Celebrities dish their dating nightmares

There can be a lot of pressure to impress when you go on a date - especially if it is on Valentine's Day.

Here are some tips and anecdotes of dates-they'd-rather-not-remember from celebrities.

 

FOCUS ON YOUR DATE, NOT YOUR PHONE

Actress and host Jade Seah said mobile distractions are a turnoff during a date.

Seah recalled a second date with a man who could not tear his eyes from his device.

"He was constantly on his phone and hardly looked up at me or spoke to me."

Actress Jade Seah

Instead of letting herself become a third wheel to her date and his phone, she called him out on it.

"I told him, 'If you are busy, maybe we can meet up another day. After all, I am busy too, and I am here to spend time with you.'"

Her date quickly took the hint and put aside his phone.

If your date does spend a lot of time on his phone, take Seah's advice and don't suffer in silence. It is rude behaviour, date or not.

---

DON'T FAIL WITH 
THE BILL

ONE FM DJ Jill Lim ended up having to pay for a date, who was a virtual stranger, on Valentine's Day eight years ago.

She said: "My original date stood me up to go out with my cousin. So I crashed my friend's date with his girlfriend.

"To not let things get too awkward, he invited along a guy to make it a double date - and he simply assumed that I would pay for him (the guy)."

DJ Jill Lim

It may come as a surprise that Lim did pay for her date's meal, but it is no surprise that there was no second date.

Fellow ONE FM DJ Cheryl Miles said she would prefer if the man picks up the bill - at least for the first date.

"It is just my very old-fashioned thinking," she said.

Miles admits that not every girl shares her view.

She said: "Even if he does not pay for the date, I absolutely hate it if he is very calculative when splitting the bill.

"I have gone on dates where they meticulously calculated how much I ordered.

"That is a big turnoff," said Miles.

---

KEEP YOUR EGO 
IN CHECK

Do not talk too much about yourself. Actress Nadiah M Din believes it is a deal breaker.

"The worst thing that someone can do on a date is talk too much about their past dates or how proud they are of themselves."

Unfortunately for her, she has had to endure dates who were incredibly self-centred.

"I went out once with a model, who was admittedly cute, but he was obsessed with himself. It felt like he thought he was George Clooney and the other guys around him were William Hung," she said, of the American Idol reject.

Actress Nadiah M Din

"He was so vain that he kept checking himself out in the mirror or any reflective surface he saw."

The model's vanity went even further.

"He kept asking me if he was really cute - even though he knew he was good looking."

Nadiah added: "Yet, he pretended to be insecure just so that I would keep telling him, 'Yes, you are really super good looking.'"

ONE FM DJ Jill Lim has also suffered dates boasting of how much they earned.

She said: "They like to show off that a $200 steak is nothing to them because of how much they earn. That is a deal breaker."

---

HONESTY IS THE 
BEST POLICY

Especially if you are not feeling well during the date.

That was what DJ Mike Kasem learnt after his "worst date ever". It was 18 years ago with a singer he had interviewed for MTV Select. They made plans to meet up when he visited Los Angeles.

Kasem said: "I was down with a cold, but I couldn't cancel as I was in town only for a short time. I decided to power through it, with the help of Tylenol."

But he didn't realise he had taken Tylenol PM - a painkiller to be taken at night and which tends to make one very drowsy.

DJ Mike Kasem

"During dinner, my eyes started closing."

Making it worse, Kasem tried different types of alcohol to wake him up - which was the wrong thing to do.

"She asked if I wanted to call it a night as I looked like I was tired and bored," said Kasem. "Instead of being honest, we continued on to a nightclub - one that had many celebrities around."

Soon after, his stomach did not feel too good and he started to perspire profusely. The pills and booze combination meant Kasem ended up making five trips to the bathroom.

---

DON'T COME ON TOO STRONG

One of Cheryl Miles' worst dates was one that did not happen.

Her potential beau texted her just before they were to meet to say that his credit card was not working.

She suggested rescheduling.

His reply?

Let's do something that doesn't require any spending.

Miles said: "Reading between the lines, I could tell that he meant it in a sleazy way and expected me to go home with him. So I just didn't reply and blocked him on WhatsApp."

---

TELL US YOUR WORST DATE AND WIN RESTAURANT MEALS

Turn your nightmare date experience into something useful.

We have five three-course set lunches for two at Spathe Public House and five pairs of dining vouchers worth $100 from P.Bistro to give away.

Fill in the form below and tell us either your worst date experience or your best dating advice (if you've never been on a bad date before).

 

 

About the restaurants

P. Bistro

Palais Renaissance #B1-06

Even if the restaurant is located in Orchard Road, you are promised a quiet, intimate setting at P. Bistro. 

Resembling a Parisian bistro, this restaurant offers simple Asian-inspired Western fare and French classics.

You will be spoiled for choice there, but if you need help ordering, their signature dishes include the Nonya Dory Fish (below, left) and the Duck Confit.

Spathe Public House

8 Muhammad Sultan Road #01-01

If you're looking for a great Instagrammable restaurant that happens to have great food, Spathe is your choice.

Spathe Public House is housed in a historic brick-and-timber shop house located in the River Valley neighbourhood.

If you're looking for something to excite your tastebuds, the food here draws inspiration from contemporary and Southern American cooking. Yes, that means bold flavours from the freshest ingredients.

The best part? They do not serve on individual plates. Spathe Public House features a fun, sharing menu. So this means you can have a sample of more dishes without worrying whether it's okay to try your date's food.