LOVE is in the air for Lochwinnoch lad Jonny Lowrie as he stars in a popular TV dating show.

Jonny made his first appearance on ITV’s Take Me Out at the weekend, with matchmaker Paddy McGuinness attempting to fix him up with the woman of his dreams.

The show sees 30 single women looking for a date - and a selection of men coming down a ‘love lift’ in an attempt to impress them.

If the girls aren’t interested, they turn their light off - giving the show its catchphrase “no likey, no lighty”.

Self-confessed romantic Jonny, who has been single for a year, ventured down the love lift with the hope of catching the attention of one of the flirty thirty.

Speaking to the Gazette, he said: “I was in a long-term relationship for seven years, so I feel like I have missed out on playing the field.

“My usual way of meeting girls is at bars and I’ve been swiping on Tinder recently but I was on holiday when I received a message asking if I would like to appear on the show.

“I thought my mates were winding me up but it turned out to be one of the casting guys.

“After a Facebook conversation, we had a chat, I auditioned and then, a week later, they came to my house to film.”

One of Jonny’s secret passions is musicals, although he sometimes struggles to find anyone to go with.

He is also a self-confessed “drama queen and hypochondriac”.

Jonny, a 25-year-old banker, said: “Since the show aired, I’ve only had positive messages, which is good as I thought I might get a slagging.

“Everyone said I came across quite well and normal, which is a relief as you do get some odd people on the show.

“I felt so nervous as I watched myself coming down the lift.

“I usually go for brunettes, so my first choice was the Geordie girl Rebecca. However, she turned her light off after seeing my video as she said she wouldn’t want to date a hypochondriac as she was one herself and there couldn’t be two of us.”

Instead, Jonny was paired with stunning blonde Charley Frain, 26, who prides herself on knocking other girls to the ground when playing netball.

He said: “She really stood out for me. It was also a bit intriguing when she mentioned knocking girls out. I could tell she had fire in her personality.”

Viewers can tune in again this weekend to see how Jonny and Charlie fared when they were whisked off to sun-kissed Tenerife to get to know each other better.

Jonny said he is a big fan of the show and it was “amazing” to meet host Paddy.

He added: “Paddy was so friendly. He could tell I was a bit nervous, so he was good at talking through things and relaxing me.

“We had a laugh and a joke in the dressing room over a cup of tea.”

Take Me Out is on ITV on Saturday, starting at 6.45pm.