A gay dater on last night’s First Dates set Irish hearts a-flutter.

Dubliner Paddy Smyth, who has cerebral palsy, ‘trended’ on Twitter after winning over viewers with his self-deprecating humour during an appearance on the dating show last night.

Smyth was paired with UCC student David and the pair appeared to hit it off, even heading to The George bar afterwards.

However, though Smyth says the pair are still texting, he says he is still “single” and urges interested parties to get in touch (you can follow him on Snapchat: @paddyysmyth)

Speaking to The Irish Times, Smyth said he was motivated to appear on the programme in order to highlight stigma surrounding gay people with disabilities.

“On social media I’m pretty honest about what it’s like living with a disability. I show the good and the bad bits, like I get to skip queues and make people carry my tea, but yeah, dating can be tough. One of the reasons I went on First Dates was to highlight the stigma surrounding being gay and disabled.”

Smyth said that immediately after the show aired he was offered a few dates and even received a few ‘pics’ too.

“I suppose dating has been hard because I’m afraid to show people my vulnerable side. Guys see my disability and automatically ‘friend-zone’ me. But today, for the first time in ages, I fee l quite attractive. I’ve even had a few date offers since I woke up, and a few ‘pics’ too.”

This morning Smyth posted on Twitter:”I can’t believe I’m trending thank u – I got so overwhelmed with emotion I cried a little. I’m doing some interviews 2m so stay tuned.”