Love Triangle UK: "I made my name as a British basketball icon and now I'm looking for love on Channel 4"

Sheffield Sharks legend, Mike Tuck, has been one of the most recognisable athletes in British basketball for over a decade.

He is the Sharks’ all-time leading scorer and made 500 British Basketball League appearances over a stellar career during which he earned the honour of leading Team England at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Yet, one thing few expected from the Canadian/British hoops star, after he retired in 2022 at the age of 39, was his upcoming debut as a reality TV star.

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Mike will be one of five ‘pickers’ in Channel 4’s new dating show, Love Triangle, and whilst basketball fans will know him for his sporting excellence and insightful Sky Sport contributions, the nation will meet Mike Tuck as he searches for love.

“It was the powers of social media,” Mike told me in a call over Zoom. “I was sat around one day and I was contacted by a casting agent. They said they loved my look and asked if I would be up for the show.”

He admits he was tentative at first - after all, the offer was to appear on national television in an attempt to find love - but eventually he decided it was too good an opportunity to pass up.

After retiring, Mike stayed with the Sharks as Marketing Manager, so whilst some of the team’s current roster includes former teammates, many new faces have still got to know him well.

“Most of them were in disbelief,” he said, recalling the moments he told the organisation of his impending reality TV debut. “They didn’t think it was something I would go for or be asked to do.”

Some within the Sharks organisation thought he was joking, but soon everyone was on board and excited for the opportunity.

“The show is labelled as Love Triangle,” he said. “Myself and five other pickers are placed into Love Triangles and were filmed for a month.”

A series of personality tests before filming meant Mike was put into a Love Triangle with his two “suitors” Kelly and Danielle. Based on a connection made through texting only, Mike will need to choose one of them to meet on a blind date, before taking the extraordinary step to move in together.

What the new pairs do not expect is an “explosive twist” when the rejected suitor returns to the show looking for love.

It is said to be a “supersized” version of the Australian version, which was developed by the same teams behind Married At First Sight Australia.

Love Triangle UK premieres on Tuesday, April 23, at 9pm on E4 and 10pm on Channel 4.