Francesca Farago has spoken on how new Netflix dating series Perfect Match opened up its format.
The reality star, who first found fame on Too Hot to Handle, appears on the new series, where she dates a woman, Abbey Humphreys, alongside men.
Opening up about the experience, Francesca revealed that she wasn't told beforehand that she would have the opportunity to date men and women.
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“I think that was something that I kind of guided towards during filming,” she explained to Variety. “I reached a point where I wasn’t sure if I wanted to remain in the house anymore because I just I didn’t know if there was someone for me there.
“I knew who was there, men-wise, and I was like, ‘I don’t know if I can waste anyone’s time by continuing to match with these men that I know I’m not going to get along with’.
"Then, I found out there was a possibility of me being matched with a female, and I was like, 'In that case, I will stay for that'."
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"I wasn’t even sure if it was going to happen because it was a heterosexual show. But I’m glad that it happened, and I’m glad that that relationship happened as well. I kind of just switched up the game.”
Farago – who is now dating trans star Jesse Sullivan outside the show – also opened up about the importance of queer representation, as she revealed that her boyfriend has received horrific death threats.
“Especially the way the world is right now, I feel like there is so much going on. It’s crazy, the hate towards our community. The hate is a lot louder than anything else,” she said.
“People are still getting death threats and people are still getting attacked in public, and it’s very dangerous for people in our community, especially certain members.
“I feel like representation is so important because it’ll show audiences that we’re normal people. Just because we identify in a certain way doesn’t mean that we deserve this huge amount of hate.
“My boyfriend is trans, and he gets death threats on his posts. And he’s just a nice normal dad. He’s so sweet.
"To have these aspects of public hate from that just proves that the more representation we have, the more positive it will be because people will see that we’re just normal people.”
Perfect Match is streaming on Netflix now.
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Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i' as a sub-editor.
