Dannii Minogue overcome with emotion as star explains she 'identifies as queer'

An emotional Dannii Minogue declared that she "identifies as queer" during the premiere of her new gay dating show, I Kissed a Girl. She was overwhelmed with pride while introducing the series which aims at filling a crucial gap in the UK's reality TV landscape - dating shows for lesbian and bisexual women.

She hailed the 2024 launch of the show as surreal and lamented, "This is so important," emphasising the neglect lesbian and bisexual women have faced in reality television. Ms Minogue expressed her hopes for an enthusiastic nationwide response, exclaiming: "There hasn't been a show for the girls in the reality gay dating world. It's like we need this to happen. I'm hoping that there are parties up and down the country."

The series debut will mesmerize viewers as it commences with a captivating scene where 10 single women matched into couples by the show researchers share a lingering poolside kiss before uttering their first words. The journey then embarks on assessing if chemistry exists between them or whether they need to shop around for romance among fellow contestants.

An added twist sees five additional women enter the stunning Italian Masseria, adding spark to the unfolding drama.

At the series unveiling, the host, Dannii, aged 52, garnered compliments for effortlessly using the terminology related to different categories of gay women including "femme", "stem" and "masc". Sharing her own personal revelation, she acknowledged, "I identify as queer in a weird way," reports the Mirror.

In the opening episode, Amy from Surrey doesn't hold back her admiration for Dannii, exclaiming, "just my type" while the rest of the group also seem smitten with the star.

When quizzed about her feelings towards the contestants, the Australian icon, who has been in a relationship with musician Adrian Newman for over ten years, responded with a chuckle: "You girls are hot. You know it. I love it. I'm here for it. Is that an answer?"

Dannii expressed her hopes for the trailblazing series to rake in more accolades, saying, "I want this to go well, obviously. Everybody's put everything on the line. I hope there are more series of this show, and more girls get the opportunity to have this experience."

Overcome with emotion, she continued: "You girls are so brave and amazing and have brought so much to it. I could never do what you have done. I will always be in awe of what has happened and what we've created.

"I feel so proud. You're stepping forward, and you're the first crew of girls representing in this space, and it is big."

The diverse group of contestants, ranging in age from 22 to 28, hail from across the UK and boast a variety of professions including a footballer, a fire-eater, a chef who doubles as a drummer, and a publishing executive embarking on her first same-sex relationship.

Dannii Minogue, former X Factor judge and the host of the new dating show, hopes that its 10-episode rollout will garner diverse spectatorship, including a heterosexual audience.

She stated: "There's a curiosity, right? Whether you are a lesbian or not. Who's going to be in the casting? Who's going to be paired with whom? What are they like? Will they represent me? Do I see myself? A million questions and guess what? The straights have the same million questions."

She went on to say, "The best thing that can happen to this show is that everyone watches it, and everyone has questions. Everyone learns something. Everyone moves forward."

Meanwhile, Dannii conceded that while she was indeed the elegant presenter of the dating spectacle, her role was rather limited when it came to matchmaking. "I don't get to do a lot. I think I just drop bombs - and then swan off and try not to trip over my dress."

I Kissed a Girl will begin on BBC iPlayer on 5 May.