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Graham Norton confesses to Katie Couric he can’t use dating app Grindr due to BBC role

CHAT show host Graham Norton has confessed he has been forced to steer clear of gay dating app Grindr due to his lofty positon at the BBC.

The Irish star, 55, said he reckoned the app, which has transformed the dating scene for gay men since 2009, would be deemed inappropriate by bosses and had given it a wide berth on his quest for love.

The chat show host told how Grindr's 'hook up' reputation meant it wouldn't be okayed by BBC bosses
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The chat show host told how Grindr's 'hook up' reputation meant it wouldn't be okayed by BBC bossesCredit: PA:Press Association

Instead, Graham admitted he had toyed with Tinder before quitting the dating apps altogether.

Speaking on Katie Couric’s latest podcast, he said: “I couldn’t do Grindr because of what it is and because I work for the BBC.

“But I felt Tinder was socially acceptable, I could do Tinder, but no more.”

Rather than the culture of swiping and dating promoted by Tinder, Grindr - the most popular gay dating app in the world - has traditionally been more suited to sexual encounters and hook-ups.

Katie was also told by Graham that he'd never live with another partner again
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Katie was also told by Graham that he'd never live with another partner againCredit: National Geographic
The chat show host did feel that the BBC would approve of Tinder, but he has now stopped using it
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The chat show host did feel that the BBC would approve of Tinder, but he has now stopped using itCredit: Getty Images - Getty
The TV personality says he is now happily single but is 'always interested' in romance
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The TV personality says he is now happily single but is 'always interested' in romanceCredit: PA
Graham Norton opens show with tribute to Manchester terror attack victims

While happily single, Graham admitted he was “always interested” in romance, but had ruled out living with another man again following his break-up from his ex-boyfriend Scott Michaels in 2017.

He explained: “People co-habit because they have to, because it makes economic sense.

“I don’t think anyone wants to live with anybody. People like things the way they like things, so it’s ‘the toilet paper’s hung the wrong way round’, it’s ‘the bread doesn’t go there’.

“My problem as well is that I’m old, so the longer you leave it the worse this gets.”

Ground-breaking news anchor Katie, who became America’s first solo female nightly news anchor when she joined CBS’s Evening News in 2006, also grilled Graham on his huge career highlights and long-running talk show, including the time he told Judi Dench, ‘You lie like a rug’.

Graham also opened up about his views on Brexit, Ireland's recent landslide vote on abortion and Theresa May’s stint as PM in the candid chat, which you can listen to now by searching for

Katie is over in the UK for a special series of podcasts with huge Brits stars, including Julian Fellows and Sharon Horgan all coming up.

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