Beloved comedian caught in bizarre dating app catfishing scam

Beloved BBC comedian Bob Mortimer has been scammed on an online dating app.

A profile claiming to be that of Mortimer, 65, has appeared on dating app Tinder, using the comedian’s photos and even some personal details.

Mortimer has been married to his wife Lisa Matthews since 2015 and the couple have been together for over 20 years.

The scammer used photos of Mortimer but changed his name to Kyle and listed his age as 50, perhaps in an attempt to make it appear that Mortimer was trying to keep a low profile despite his fame.

The profile was reportedly removed by the platform, but it is unclear how many of the app’s 2.4 million UK users were fooled by the fake account.

The Sun exclusively revealed the scam, showing that the profile described the comedian as a “big texter” looking for a long-term partner, and that Mortimer worked out “every day” and was interested in yoga, meditation, theatre and going to cafes. It also said Mortimer had a pet fish.

The profile featured several images, including one of the star eating fish and chips and another of him watching football with a friend.

Contacted by The Sun, a Tinder spokesperson reportedly said: “Catfishing is a violation of our Community Guidelines and Terms of Service, and users found catfishing are removed from our platform.

“If anyone believes their identity has been stolen on Tinder, they should contact our support team with the relevant information here, which is available to anyone, whether they use Tinder or not. From there, our team will quickly search for and remove any matching profiles.

“We encourage our users to look for the ‘blue check mark,’ which indicates that the user’s age and likeness have been verified through our photo and ID verification programs. Additionally, all users can request that their match photo be verified before sending a message.”

The news comes as the comedian continues to battle his health, diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in his twenties and battling additional heart problems over the years.

He also had a bout of shingles in 2023 which left him weak and sick.

Mortimer discussed his health issues with Paul Whitehouse during an episode of their show Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing.

He said: “It’s been a very, very, very unhealthy year for me, Paul, with my shingles… And you know what, it was worse than my heart period.

“The muscles I lost, I lost… But other people can make up for it, you know what I mean?”

He added: “I can strengthen the other muscles, but I have a terrible feeling that I will never be able to run again, and you know I loved running, Paul.”

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