Olly Murs has been challenged by Peperami to take on the nation’s food fails and trial Britain’s saddest snacks. Calling for Brits to #BanTheBland, Olly offers a solution with his very own Peperami chicken bucket to be used when chilling and watching TV on the sofa. To watch the full episode, visit @PeperamiTV on Instagram.…

Tell us about the ‘Ban the Bland’ campaign with Peperami! What made you want to get involved? Is there anything you were dreading or looking forward to as part of the experiment? 

I’ve always loved Peperami & it was a real treat to spot them in the fridge growing up! Since then they’ve come out with so many different Peperami snacks, and they are all delicious so I jumped at the chance to be involved. I’ll generally try most things, so I wasn’t too worried about the tasting part – I was looking forward to eating a lot of Peperami snacks though!  

What food to you is boring Olly, what are your food or snack nightmares? Is there a food or snack you could live on forever? Are there any quirky food combinations that you and your partner enjoy?

I like snacks with flavour, so anything that is under seasoned or bland is boring for me. A snack nightmare for me was something I was made to try – dry wheat biscuits with baked beans?? How can anyone eat that, its so dry – and just doesn’t go together!! The one food I absolutely hate is raw tomatoes, so having a load of cherry tomatoes as a snack would be my nightmare. Me & my partner don’t have any quirky food aversions – but I like sweet chilli sauce on everything. 

You’ve mentioned some of your idols in the Peperami Ban The Bland video, do you have any funny stories you can share? Do you have any celeb crushes?

I’m very lucky to have met, worked and become friends with some of my icons – Robbie Williams, Michael Buble & Sir Tom Jones. Robbie asked me to support him on his European Stadium Tour in 2013 which was a lot of fun, and being a practical joker I decided to dress up like Kylie Minogue in gold hotpants, full makeup/ wig, and surprise him in his dressing room. I was close to doing it on stage but I wasn’t quite sure how he’d react! Luckily he found it hilarious. 

I don’t have any current celebrity crushes, but I’ve said it before – I was a huge Posh Spice fan growing up, I even had a photo of her in my wallet! I didn’t reveal that to Beckham when I saw him at Soccer Aid though! Haha

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You’ve been known as ladies’ man in the past, what did it take for you to settle down? Do you and Amelia have any plans to get married in the future? How have you found being a pet parent? Do you see plans for children in the future? Does Amelia have a nickname for you? 

I’m very fortunate to have met Amelia at the time in my life that I did. I was ready to settle down, and just going into lockdown meant my work was put on hold and I was able to spend quality time with her, building the foundations of our relationship. She’s brilliant and I’d love to have a future with her. Marriage and kids you’ll have to wait and see, as we’re in no rush and are very happy as we are right now. Being a pet parent has definitely been a good next step! We wouldn’t change ‘Missy’ for the world – she’s the best.  

My first date with Amelia was actually in a gym – sad I know, but that’s genuinely where we met. I got chatting to her in the middle of a group work out session and offered to drive her home – smooth I know! 

We have a restaurant in Essex called Sheesh that do amazing barbecue food – so if we’re going out, we’ll get dressed up and have dinner there with friends, and they always have great live music on. Else they do a mean takeaway so that’s always something to look forward to. 

Amelia is a good cook, so she makes lots of great food at home. I’m not so good, but I’m getting better! Definitely being at home during lockdown has made me appreciate home cooked food, as I’ve been non-stop for 10 years and often don’t get to appreciate that.

What is your biggest culinary pet peeve? Does Amelia have any bad snacking habits? Is food the way to your heart? What would someone have to whip up to get your attention? What’s your vice?

My biggest culinary pet peeve is bland food with no flavour. Amelia trains most days, so she can afford to snack on whatever she wants – I can’t get away with it as much now I’m 37 so have to work hard to keep in shape. Food is definitely something we enjoy as a couple though and we love takeaways and going out for nice dinners. If you made me a banging roast dinner I’d be happy! That’s definitely up there as a favourite meal – but you’d have to try and beat my mums. 

My vice would probably be chocolate coated peanuts! A definite favourite!

What is your perfect date night? Do you like to go out or stay in? What kind of movies do you watch on Netflix? Who rules the remote in your household? What kind of food do you tend to snack on? 

It feels like staying in has become a lot more normal over the last few years with covid, but we genuinely enjoy entertaining at home – inviting our closest mates over for some drinks, food and maybe some games or a TV night. 

We both love our movies & our box sets – and there’s endless choice now on all the streaming sites. For Christmas we got a ‘Best 100 Films’ poster to scratch off, so we’re trying to work our way through that. One of the best ones on there that I hadn’t seen was ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ – such a great film. 

For savoury snacks we’ve always got the Peperami chicken bites in the fridge as they are my favourite, and we’d always put some crisps, dips and maybe some nuts out to snack on before dinner. 

From Instagram, we’ve spotted that Amelia is a body builder! Do you both keep in shape together? Who do you think would win in an arm wrestle? Do you have a fitness regime? 

Amelia is a bikini model that has won numerous competitions so she really understands the dedication and commitment to her fitness and diet around competing. She’s taught me a lot, and it’s become part of our lives to train and eat well now. It’s no longer a chore, we both train because we feel the benefits both mentally and physically, and it’s great that we are both on the same page and can encourage each other. 

Any plans over Christmas? Do you have any fun Christmas traditions? Do you spend Christmas with your family? Any projects that you’re working on over the festive period? 

Christmas is pretty traditional in our household with all the family around, so I’m looking forward to that. It usually comprises of eating way too much and falling asleep on the sofa infront of a Christmas film, as I’m sure so many people can relate to! 

I’ll be working on some TV bits over the festive period, as I have a new show coming out next year called Starstruck that I recorded earlier this year. I can’t wait for everyone to watch it. 

You’re an advocate for mental health and have spoken about it a lot in the media. Any tips for those who might be struggling? 

I’d definitely encourage anyone struggling to talk to someone. You’d be surprised how many people will empathise, and probably open up themselves. I think its becoming more acceptable for men in particular to talk openly together about their mental health. But I’d also advise anyone to go and speak to an impartial counsellor. It definitely did me the world of good, to have a stranger give me an impartial view and advice. Finding a hobbie, or something that makes you feel good is always a positive too – having an outlet for any stresses or anxieties, even if it’s as simple as going for a walk. 

We know you’re going on tour in Summer 2022, do you have any secrets or funny stories to share about what happens on tour? Does what happen on tour stay on tour? What’s your most embarrassing moment on tour? What is next for your career? 

I’m excited to get back on the road again in 2022 – I love it! It genuinely is the best part of my job, being able to perform infront of fans up and down the country. Touring this year has obviously been very different with a lot of covid measures in place, but usually we’d have a few hours before a show to hang out backstage, see friends/ family/ guests of the show and a have bit of food. Then when we’re all dressed and ready to go, the band and I do a ritual huddle behind the stage. My brass section play a tune we’ve been doing for years, and we all have a sing and a dance before we walk on stage. It’s a special moment, and I’ve done it for nearly a decade now! 

My most embarrassing moment on tour has got to have involved ripping my trousers on stage. I dropped to my knees at the end of a song on my arena tour, spot light just on me before it went to black at the end of the song, and I heard a massive rip at my crotch. Luckily I was wearing pants! But I had to have a crew member throw me a towel on stage and sheepishly exit to change my trousers! 

I’m definitely keen to release music next year, as it’s been a while and am excited about that. And I’ll also be focusing a lot of TV – so keep both your eyes and ears peeled for more of me in 2022!