ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A man who appeared on a Turkish television dating show in search of a new partner shocked the audience by revealing he had murdered his former wife and a former lover.

Sefer Calinak, 62, told Flash TV's "Luck of the Draw" he had served prison sentences for each of the murders and had been released under an amnesty programme.

"I'm an honest person looking for a new wife," he told the show, saying he killed his first wife because he was "irritated" by her behavior and murdered a subsequent partner because he thought she was after his money.

Calinak was asked to leave the show by the host, prompting applause from the studio audience, in an episode which made headlines in Turkish newspapers.

(Reporting by Seda Sezer; Editing by Nick Tattersall and Andrew Roche)