A Mid Devon rugby player used his countryside charm to pull the daughter of a 1990s pop star after he revealed his love of cows on a dating show.

Flanker Olly Reed, 21, who works at his family’s France Farm, at Blackborough, near Cullompton, proved a hit with the ladies on ITV’s Take Me Out.

He made it through to the final round and chose a date with a girl called Mollie. But it was only after filming that he discovered she was pop star Beverly Craven’s oldest daughter.

Unfortunately, farmhand Olly said they had little in common, describing them as “chalk and cheese.” But he enjoyed her company all the same.

“I only went on the show for a laugh and not to find someone,” said Olly, whose family keep 120 cows on the 300-acre farm. “But I recommend anybody to do it.”

Olly’s sister had persuaded him to go on the show which features host Paddy McGuinness’s catchphrase “no lighty, no likey”, referring to the practice of girls switching off their studio podium light if they don’t like the boy on offer.

Single men take the ‘Love Lift’ to the studio in a bid to be chosen for a date and only two out of the 30 single ladies switched off their lights when Olly appeared.

Olly said: “I can’t really remember coming down in the lift but I am pleased with how it went. It’s the first time you see the girls and I was not meant to do what I did. I walked on like an idiot with my arms flying everywhere and everybody said they liked my dance but I thought: ‘what dance’?”

Mollie took a shine to him instantly and described his dancing as “hilarious”, but Paddy put her straight and told her it was “not meant to be”.

Then, an introductory video was played of Olly spending time with his family, friends and cattle.

He said: “I am a general farm hand on a 300-acre family run farm and I do like my cows, I must admit. The qualities you look for in a cow are very similar to a girl actually. First of all you look for nice legs and then you look at the body, a nice deep chest and of course, you don’t want a fat cow and you don’t want a thin cow, you want something bang in the middle.

“In the past young farmers is where I have met most of my girls but tonight I want to broaden my horizons.”

His milking technique was put to the test with the arrival of a life size model cow which soon became the topic of conversation, and Paddy asked how he kept tabs on all 120 cows.

Olly replied: “I have names for them all, Paddy, and some girls here have the same names as some of my girls at home.”

He then chose a partner and he and Mollie ended up going on a break to an island retreat.

“The date was OK but we went on a horse-and-cart ride which is not my cup of tea, but she loved it,” Olly said.