CHARGED: Daphney Sanasie, who appeared on the opening night of RTE’s First Dates Ireland has been charged with harassing celebrity chef Dylan McGrath. Photo: VIPIRELAND.COM

RTE First Dates Ireland star Daphney Sanasie has been charged with harassing celebrity chef Dylan McGrath, the Sunday Independent can reveal

Ms Sanasie (26), of Jamestown Road, Dublin 8, allegedly harassed McGrath on dates between September 9 and November 21 last year.

She appeared in court on April 15 in front of Judge Michael Walsh.

The charge is in the name of Daphney Sanasie.

She was remanded on bail until May 27.

In the TV show, she is known as Federica Sanasie.

The fiesty South African model was catapulted to national prominence after her appearance on the new matchmaking series filmed in the Gibson Hotel in Dublin's docklands.

RTE kicked off its version of the popular Channel 4 series on Thursday night, with a string of strong personalities on the hunt for romance.

Her date on the opening episode of the show was with a Donegal man named Lee.

On the show, Ms Sanaise went by the name 'Federica'.

Hundreds applied to take part but it was only a select few who made it through the audition process.

They were asked a series of questions, including their past lovers, their parents' marriage, and what they look for in an ideal partner.

The show's producers said that months of research and matchmaking went into choosing ideal daters who have a genuine relationship chance. During an hour-long interview, programme makers whittled down the numbers by grilling likely candidates.

"We're trying to gauge who would fit together based on age, hobbies, interests and background," said Linda Cullen, Head of Television with production company COCO which makes the show.

"We spent a lot of time looking at the boards on our walls. Our walls in the office are covered with the details and photos of daters along with the type of people that we're trying to match them with.

"We had terrible fights at times, trying to match the right couples."

Dylan McGrath (39) is considered one of the finest chefs Ireland has ever produced.

Known for his creativity and brilliance, his cooking remains at the cutting edge.

He came to national prominence as the chef proprietor of Mint in Dublin which was awarded the accolade of a Michelin Star.

But the economic downturn which forced gourmets to mind their cash eventually caught up with the restaurant and he was forced to close.

But McGrath is a battler and in August 2010 he opened 'Rustic Stone Restaurant by Dylan McGrath' on South Great George's Street in Dublin's city centre.

A year later he became known to a national audience when he became a judge on the Irish version of the show Masterchef which became a huge hit.

He also appeared in the 2008 RTE One television series Guerrilla Gourmet and in the fly-on-the-wall series The Pressure Cooker.

Sunday Independent