Twenty years after a chip shop owner appeared on Blind Date and was picked by a future TV presenter, he is happily married and still frying fish at the same Bearsted business.

Donda Michaelas, now 40, has no regrets about turning his back on the celebrity lifestyle which his partner on the show, Jenni Falconer, chose.

He is settled into village life, surrounded by his family.

Speaking as celebrities continue to pay tribute to Cilla Black, who died of a stroke in her Spanish villa earlier this month, Mr Michaelas said: “Cilla was amazing. You don’t meet her until the show and I was nervous, but she relaxed you quite easily.

"My parents used to watch Blind Date and Surprise Surprise so I grew up with her. Of course I was sad when I heard she’d died. My wife came and told me.

“Cilla told us our episode would be big. She said the cheer when Jenni picked me was the loudest she’d heard in 13 years of doing the show. But it was only after our first show was screened that we realised how big it was going to get.”

National newspapers suddenly wanted to interview the pair and Mr Michaelas was offered work with 90s fitness instructor Mr Motivator, famed for his colourful spandex outfits and appearances on GMTV, and controversial Channel 4 show The Word.

But when one tabloid printed spiteful comments about the young chippy worker, he realised fame was not for him.

“Different personalities attract different kinds of things,” he said. “It was a wake-up call. I just thought, this isn’t the life for me.”

But how was his date with Miss Falconer?

“Jenni was a lovely girl. We spent four days in Brittany. Blind Date looked after us from beginning to end. The hotel was top-notch and we went horse riding, sailing, swimming and played tennis. On the second show, neither of us put each other down. Twenty years on we’re still in contact.”

Twelve years ago, Mr Michaelas married Samantha Smith, now the mother of his children Sophia, 11, Pedro, nine, Nikki, six, and Alexander, nine months, at St Mary’s and All Saints Church, Boxley, with a reception for 400 at Margate Winter Gardens.

Marino’s Fish Bar in Ashford Road was opened 25 years ago by Mr Michaelas’s parents Peter and Androniki but now it’s him and Samantha selling the fish and chips and kebabs.

He added: “Twenty years on I look back and I know I made the right choice.”

Donda Michaelas was inspired by the story of young Bearsted man, Matthew Carapiet, who was killed when an earthquake struck while he was trekking in Nepal.

He already has a collection tin in the chippy, raising cash in Mr Carapiet’s memory, and on Monday, September 7, the day’s profits will be donated to the fund.

He will also ask customers to drop their spare change into buckets and ask suppliers to contribute.

He said: “It’s tragic. I’ve got four children and the thought of anything happening to any of them is just unthinkable. I can’t imagine what it must be like for a family to have to cope with something like that.

“I’d like to think the people of Bearsted will chip in so we can raise a lot of money for this good cause. My customers are very generous and have helped us raise money for charities in the past.”

Mr Carapiet’s family, of Peverel Drive, Bearsted, has already collected more than £11,000 in his name to finish building a school in Siem Reap, Cambodia, which he started work on before travelling to Nepal.

His parents Greg and Jill and sister Christina are in the process of setting up a charity to raise even more cash for causes that were close to Mr Carapiet’s heart.

Search for Bring Matt Carapiet Home on Facebook for updates.