Sean Dyche said he was asked to make a brief appearance on Channel 4's Celebs Go Dating after he and a group of former Millwall teammates "stumbled" into a restaurant where filming was taking place.
The former Burnley and Everton manager told talkSPORT that the encounter was unplanned and prompted a producer to request a short "walk on" segment, which led to Dyche interrupting former Atomic Kitten star Kerry Katona's dinner on the show last month. Dyche said he discussed an appearance fee for the slot, which he intended to donate to Kidney Research.
On the episode, Dyche is seen approaching Katona and her date, personal trainer Paolo Margaglione, saying, "Oh hello, how are you? How's it going?" The show's narrator, Rob Beckett, reacts on-screen, asking, "Hold on, who's this bloke? Surely not, that's ex Everton, Watford and Burnley manager Sean Dyche!" Katona laughed and quipped that she thought Dyche might ask her on a date.
Dyche recounted the sequence to talkSPORT, saying: "What happened was, I went out with the Millwall lads, we went out and there was about nine of us. We stumbled into a restaurant, and we did stumble in. We were okay but we did stumble in." He said a producer approached and asked, "is Sean at it", to which he replied, "yeah", before being invited to take part in a short segment to "add a bit of flavour to it." Dyche added that he was "plonked" into the spot and felt obliged to "make out as if I know Kerry." He described Katona as "lovely," saying she was "very gracious" when they spoke after filming.
The brief on-screen embrace and friendly banter prompted viewers to question the nature of Dyche's relationship with Katona. Dyche said the interaction was the result of chance and a producer's request rather than an established friendship.
Dyche, 54, has been out of work since his departure from Everton in January, ending a near two-year spell in charge of the Toffees. He is best known for a decade-long managerial spell at Burnley, where he twice led the club to promotion to the Premier League and helped establish the Clarets as a top-flight regular.
Off the pitch, Dyche has in recent years been visible at music festivals and in public social settings. He previously appeared in a music video for the Blossoms single "What Can I Say (After I'm Sorry)," and has been photographed by fans at events such as Glastonbury and in Ibiza. This week he also said he had persuaded former England striker Peter Crouch to sign for Burnley while they were at the Isle of Wight festival.
Dyche's explanation sought to end speculation about a deeper connection to Katona and to clarify that his Celebs Go Dating appearance was an impromptu contribution during a night out.