Boy who lived in garden shed for five years says he didn’t have ‘typical upbringing’

A boy who lived in a garden shed for five years of his childhood says he didn't have a "typical upbringing."

Max from Manchester appeared on the UK version of First Dates last night and he spoke at length about his childhood and his relationship with his stepfather. The 24-year-old said that he was often awkward in social settings because of what he had experienced as a child. Speaking to date, Esther, he said that he lived in a shed between the ages of 11 and 16. He said:

"When my little sister was born when we moved house, from the age of 11 to the age of 16, I was in the garden shed. "It was wood but inside of it was painted white. I had a bed in there and I had an electric radiator so it wasn’t 100 per cent bad. I would just sit in there and draw and write poetry."

Max also said that because he spent so much of his childhood alone, he really loved going to school. However, when he was 16 he was taken out of school and put into a care home. He said:

"I love school so much. It was because of the attention, probably. I was almost upset how much I loved school. I get upset thinking about it now. "When I was sixteen I got taken out essentially… put into a care home. I was very detached from my parents. I think that was the root cause of me having a strange approach to romantic relationships."

Max and Esther's date went alright, but eventually ended with him saying he wouldn't want to see her again because he would be "wasting" her time. Bleak.