Late Late Show recap: John and Vera’s vow renewal redeems a chaotic Valentine’s special
Vera and John renewing their vows on the Late Late Show's Valentine's Day special
There was something in the air in the Late Late Show studio on Friday night: the mingled scent of Lynx and fake tan, the whiff of desperation, and just a hint of love.
The now-annual love special got underway ahead of Valentine’s Day and delivered the usual mixture of parlour games, night-out-energy and real-life dating app atmosphere — but this year it ended on a genuine note of romance, thanks to married couple John and Vera, who renewed their vows on live television after almost six decades of marriage.
The touching moment salvaged a chaotic show that had the energy of a boisterous hen or stag do crossed with an interactive panto, which, in fairness, has become the norm for the standalone special.
Ahead of the show's sweet conclusion, a rowdy audience of singletons embraced the experience with abandon from the moment Tubs appears in a red velvet jacket to croon a love song.
The first of the games began with Aoife from Drogheda playing the Three Chair Challenge, where a queue of men was shuffled to her satisfaction before she made her choice of companion for the evening.
She was in Donnybrook to find a guy who’s “tall, dark and plays GAA” and her conundrum was entertainingly MCed by comedian Justine Stafford, who fit an honestly impressive and possibly Guinness Book of Records-worthy number of innuendoes into such a brief window.
Ultimately it was some Irish dancing from Westmeath man Sean that sealed the deal, dancing his way into her heart with a lively jig and his Niall Horan energy.
We’ll have them back for the wedding 💍#LateLate pic.twitter.com/2COCycrejZ
— The Late Late Toy Show (@RTELateLateShow) February 10, 2023
Love wasn’t the only thing on the cards for the whooping and whistling audience members and their biggest cheer of the night came when they learned they were all getting into Coppers nightclub free of charge after the show. I can only imagine the chaos, the céilis and the early queues for chicken fillet rolls from the delis of Dublin this morning.
Tubridy was joined by special guests too, including Love Island’s Maura Higgins who reflected on the shock of fame, why she tells her Mammy everything () and how she “couldn't be more single if I tried”.
Reacting to recent photos published of her with a man who is seen kissing her cheek, she said he was someone she mingled with while on holiday but added there was no romance between them.
“I think it was one of his friends [that took the photo] but he probably leaked it,” she mused. “I did give him some abuse on Instagram. Yes. I did DM him over it, I did. I just called him embarrassing. There's just no need for it.”
She concluded by giving the audience advice on icks, red flags and dating dilemmas.
We were treated to a rendition of Keep On Movin’ by 90s boy and Five — or at least most of them, as Tubridy pointed out, The group has dwindled to a trio but they had the crowd on their feet nonetheless.
It was followed by a shake-up of the seating arrangement, which was an utterly dull sequence that felt more like the moment a club pours out onto the street and into social limbo at closing time. It went on for far too long before an ad break ended the viewers’ suffering.
Podcast co-hosts Alison Spittle and Kerry Katona also joined the love fest and heard some dating disaster stories from the audience that ranged from scandalous to yawn-inducing — Uncle Colm from Derry Girls could have spun a livelier tale.
The back-and-forth between Spittle and Katona was enjoyable, with the latter comfortably jesting about the moments in her personal life that made headlines. She joked her love of weddings is “very well documented. I love a divorce and all,” referencing her three marriages before reflecting on her journey through life.
“You’re after mates rates aren’t ya Ryan???” 🤣🤣🤣
— The Late Late Toy Show (@RTELateLateShow) February 10, 2023
We LOVE you @KerryKatona7 🥰🥰#LateLate pic.twitter.com/Hgu3XLJ2nX
“I’ve been on every side of the coin you can possibly think of. Coming from foster homes to getting into a girl band, married a boy band member, becoming a millionaire, being the face of prawn rings [for UK supermarket chain Iceland], going bankrupt and then going bankrupt again and becoming a millionaire. For getting my titties out,” she laughed.
Speaking about her OnlyFans, she said she is not showing any more of herself than an actress in a mainstream film would. “I show a bit of nipple and it’s like, ‘take the kids off her’. I’m not doing anything different that these actresses haven't done already.”
Finally, the evening came to a surprisingly wholesome conclusion with the celebration of John and Vera’s long and love-filled marriage. From their wedding in the 1960s to the present day, they said their relationship has been filled with love, music and support for one another.
These two have us in bits 😭
— The Late Late Toy Show (@RTELateLateShow) February 10, 2023
Couple goals 💞#LateLate pic.twitter.com/BbmgP3b2Zs
Tubridy surprised them by offering to renew their vows with them and he revealed their children and grandchildren were in the studio to take part too, plus they were gifted with a second honeymoon to the United States.
The night ended with their second first dance, which no doubt will soon move to the sweaty dancefloor of Copper Face Jacks where desperate singletons can only hope to make as long-lasting a love connection.
