Anthea Turner, 65, hesitant about first date with fiancé Mark Armstrong, 59, due to payment concerns.

Anthea Turner has revealed she didn’t want to meet up with her younger date because she feared she would have to pay for it.

The TV personality, 65, who is now engaged to millionaire business Mark Armstrong, has spoken about her initial concerns about going on the first date.

Speaking to Lizzie Cundy, Anthea opened up about her engagement and how the couple first met – which was down to Lizzie herself.

Lizzie said: ‘You’re engaged, I won’t say thanks to me…’, to which Anthea admitted that their relationship was down to Lizzie.

The former WAG added: ‘You didn’t want to go on the date.’

Discussing her reasoning, Anthea admitted: ‘I said I didn’t want to go on the date, he was a bit younger than me and I’m not paying.

Anthea Turner has revealed she didn’t want to meet up with her younger date because she feared she would have to pay for it

The TV personality, 65, who is now engaged to millionaire business Mark Armstrong, has spoken about her initial concerns about going on the first date

‘And you said, yes you are and I’m coming with you. And that was it.’

When asked if there was going to be wedding bells soon, Anthea said: ‘We will sort this out, we’ve got to sort it out and we fully intend to. But we keep going on holiday! We’re just having honeymoon after honeymoon.’

Elsewhere in the chat, Anthea and Lizzie discussed her many trips abroad and even broached the idea of Anthea and Mark hosting a travel show. 

Lizzie said: ‘Are you going to do a travel show together. You did wish you were here!’

Anthea replied: : I did, I used to do about 24 locations a year. 24 different destinations, I didn’t like all of them. I love travelling and Mark does as well. We’re good travellers together.’

Lizzie added: ‘This might be a good idea, a travel show. Judith chalmers!’

While Anthea said: ‘Well yes I took over from the great Judith Chalmers on Wish You Were Here when she retired. Which I was very proud of. Social media is fabulous because it gives us an opportunity to travel, to work with travel companies. Or for instance in Tanzania I worked with the tourist board.’

Anthea previously revealed she didn’t think she was ‘glam enough’ Mark

When asked if there was going to be wedding bells soon, Anthea said: ‘We will sort this out, we’ve got to sort it out and we fully intend to’ (pictured 2025)

Twice married Anthea has been engaged to the businessman since 2019 following a whirlwind romance

Twice married Anthea has been engaged to the businessman since 2019 following their whirlwind romance.

But their was a point, the broadcaster, who famously presented BBC’s Blue Peter between 1992 and 1994, nearly ditched their first date entirely.

Anthea said that if it wasn’t for match maker Lizzie, who introduced the couple to one another, she would never have even turned up to the dinner because she thought Mark was ‘too young’ for her.

‘I saw some pictures and I was thought “Ooh Gorgeous!” but he was younger than me and his background had been in events, clubs, he did the club awards and things like that.

‘And I thought “No, no, no he’s going to want something glamorous, that’s not me. I wasn’t going, she [Lizzie] told Mark that I was desperate to see him and then she couldn’t get me there so she said “Right, I’m coming with you”.

‘So she arranged a dinner. I was intrigued by this man. And he seemed to be lavish and give me a lot of attention’, Anthea admitted.

Recalling his proposal during a romantic trip to Italy, she told HELLO: ‘I had a hunch. It was all very quick (we were engaged within just a few months of meeting),’ 

‘But when you are older it does tend to move a bit quicker because ‘when you know, you know’ and there is no point in messing around is there?!’.

Anthea said that if it wasn’t for match maker Lizzie Cundy (pictured), who introduced the couple to one another

The couple postponed their wedding in November 2022. 

They previously delayed the nuptials due to covid restrictions, the death of both parties beloved mothers and an eye injury that left her ‘moments from going blind’.

Anthea told the Daily Mail’s Richard Eden that the lavish nuptials would now be taking place in Italy saying: ‘We’re definitely going to do it next year!’

It comes after the TV veteran has offered her fans advice on how to survive divorce in her new book, after going through two failed marriages.

She was previously married to ex-husband Grant Bovey for 13 years, but the couple split after he cheated on her with a woman half her age in 2013.

Anthea’s first marriage was to her manager, former DJ Peter Powell, in 1990, with the couple splitting up eight years later.

She shared advice on how to have a healthy divorce, including three main tips: ‘Ditch blame, put the kids first, and avoid lawyers for as long as you can.’ 

Anthea also wrote alongside the Instagram video earlier this year: ‘Divorce is always a tricky subject and no 2 are exactly the same. I was like a rabbit it the headlights and everyone seemed to have advice’.