Jamie, 30, student recruiter, meets Molly, 28, charity worker
What were you hoping for?
I had no expectations, but to enjoy an evening out. Last time I was in a restaurant was in 2020.
Category Archives: Dating
Blind date: ‘She said I could be Justin Trudeau’s younger brother’
Luca, 24, medical librarian, meets Charlie, 26, executive assistant
What were you hoping for?
I moved to London during lockdown so was looking to meet new people and have a fun night out. (Maybe also secretly looking for “the one”.)
How we met: ‘I’d had girlfriends. Being gay hadn’t crossed my mind’
Mark, 71, and Andrew, 73, met at university in Scotland and have been together for almost 50 years. They live in London
Mark was deeply unhappy when he started at St Andrews University in Scotland in 1967. He had grown up feeling conflicted about his sexuality, and though sex between two men had been decriminalised in England and Wales that summer, it remained illegal in the rest of the UK, and attitudes towards gay people remained extremely hostile. “Sex education taught me that my feelings were abnormal. I was waiting for the phase to end,” he says. In his first week, he met Andrew, who had moved from the US to study. “We didn’t know each other well. He was on the fringes of my social group,” says Mark, 71. Andrew found Mark attractive, but had never considered a relationship with another man. “I’d been in a fraternity and had girlfriends. Being gay hadn’t really crossed my mind,” he says.
After completing his degree, Mark moved to London in 1972 and found work in the film industry. “I realised my sexuality was nothing to be ashamed of and told all my friends,” he says. Andrew, 73, spent a year in Virginia after his studies, before moving to Edinburgh to complete a PhD. By the early 70s, he too had begun to explore his sexuality, and was secretary of the Edinburgh University GaySoc. “Some friends told me that Mark had come out. They said: ‘He’s done just about everything bar putting out a personal ad to tell everyone he’s queer.’” In the autumn of 1974, he called Mark. “I was going for dinner with a mutual friend of ours, so I invited him to come along,” says Mark. “I spotted Andrew on Shaftesbury Avenue and he looked totally different. He’d shaved off the Gilbert and Sullivan sideburns he’d had at university.”
Continue reading...Cupid’s needle? UK under-30s wooed with dating app vaccine bonus
Apps such as Hinge and Bumble will offer benefits to vaccinated users amid fears of low take-up
First came the idea of making Covid vaccinations mandatory to go to the pub, while Israel offered free pizza and beer with a shot. Now UK officials have hit on what they hope is an even more persuasive reason for young people to get their jab: more chance of getting a date.
In an eye-catching policy coinciding with the rollout of vaccinations for the under-30s beginning this week, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has teamed up with popular dating apps to encourage take-up of the programme.
Continue reading...The new summer of love: ‘People are desperate to have sex – it’s been a long year’
Whether single, curious or just plain horny, many people are planning to make the most of life after lockdowns. Are we ready to get up close and personal?
The past year has changed 35-year-old Georgie’s outlook on dating. Several disappointing socially distanced dates and limp text exchanges meant she stopped using dating apps at the beginning of 2021. And now her parents have been vaccinated, she feels confident about returning to physical dates, “but not to the apps”, she says. “As things open up, I’m going to lean into spontaneity; I’m going to say yes to every invitation and seize every opportunity. If I feel a connection with someone at a social gathering, a festival or even a bus stop, I’ll go and talk to them. I’m going to be way more carpe fucking diem about it.”
Liam, 25, lives in Manchester and has never had a serious relationship. He can’t wait to meet people in real life: “If I never have another conversation via Zoom or WhatsApp, I’d be very happy – especially within my love life.” He gave up on dating apps this year, and is looking forward to the return of proper flirtation. “Vibing with someone on an app or a screen is not the same as seeing someone across a room and feeling that excitement in your stomach. That’s what I need right now.”
Continue reading...I’m 24 and my life was pretty sorted out, until I fell deeply in love with a man of 51 | Leading questions
Staying with this man will mean bracing for uncomfortable questions, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. But it’s what you feel, not what others think, that really matters
I am a 24-year-old lawyer. I like to think that my life is pretty sorted out but nine months ago, I fell deeply in love with a man of 51. This is hugely surprising to me – but it’s the most amazing relationship I could have imagined. He’s sensitive, kind, funny, generous and in my eyes, very good looking. The problem is ... the age gap! I wonder what I should think about this. I’m generally a conservative person who doesn’t like to shock public opinion.
Now, for the first time in my life, I’m facing a big decision: whether to go with this beautiful man or to give him up and go down a more traditional path. I should add: I don’t want children ever and nor does he.
Continue reading...How we met: ‘I mistakenly drank his contact lenses’
Hannah and Nav, both 34, met at university in 2005. After an awkward start they became a couple and now live together in St Albans with their two children
The first photograph of Hannah and Nav was taken in freshers’ week, when they started at Cambridge University in 2005. “We must have been introduced then but neither of us can remember it,” says Hannah. “That whole week was a bit of a blur.” She does remember seeing him around campus. “He had grey contact lenses, which looked striking on an Indian person.” Hannah was living on a busy corridor, and Nav would often visit to socialise. “I remember she looked really hard to impress. I think I was a bit scared of her,” he says.
During the second year, they joined the same hockey team and got to know each other better. In early 2007, they went to Dublin together on a sports trip, where the friendship started to blossom. By the third year they had become flirty, but it wasn’t until Nav sent a drunken Facebook message that Hannah knew how he felt. “I wrote our surnames with the word ‘relationship’ and a question mark, then a load of Ps because I fell asleep on my keyboard,” he laughs. He deleted it the next day, but Hannah had already received the email alert. “I could see he’d sent me this drunk message and deleted it but I was actually really happy,” she says.
Continue reading...Blind date: ‘Describe him in three words? Confident, charming, intelligent’
Joseph, 24, release engineer, meets Beti, 25, doctor
What were you hoping for?
A nice dinner with interesting company. Failing that, a funny story.
Sexy time: why men feel more and more attractive as the evening wears on
Psychologists in Scandinavia have been researching how people in bars rate their own attractiveness as the evening progresses – regardless of how drunk they feel
Name: Sexy time.
Age: Not important, this is all about attractiveness.
Continue reading...Hot vax summer? Dating apps encourage vaccination
Tinder and OKCupid team up with The White House to make vaccinations ‘attractive’
Dating Apps are attempting to make getting vaccinations “sexy” in a new partnership with the White House.
Tinder, Hinge and OkCupid are amongst the dating apps that are part of the initiative, which will allow users to see if their potential dates are either fully vaccinated, not yet vaccinated or ‘prefer not to disclose’.
Continue reading...How we met: ‘He turned up with two bottles of rioja. We hit it off straight away!’
Pedro, 53, and Emma, 45, met in 2010 when he was visiting the UK from Spain. Despite the language barrier, they fell in love and now live together in Extremadura with their three dogs
Emma had always pictured herself with a family. But, by 2010, she hadn’t met the right person and was feeling lost. “I was a teacher in Tunbridge Wells at the time,” she says. “I really wanted to be a mum. I was 35, which was my self-imposed ‘deadline’.”
Over the August bank holiday weekend, she went to a friend’s barbecue, where she spotted a man she had never seen before. “He had a deep tan and was wrapped in a big coat. I knew he wasn’t English.” Pedro was a language student who was staying with Emma’s friend, Jenny. “I came to improve my English and had the option to stay with a family. I thought I’d learn more,” he says. They tried to chat, but struggled to understand each other. “My friend told me he was married with children,” she says.
Continue reading...Blind date: ‘He said, “Do you want to get married”’
Katie, 25, branding and innovation consultant, meets Jack, 30, actor
What were you hoping for?
A cross between Tarzan and Louis Theroux.
Lucky review – spirited Ghanaian romcom captures the social media age
An idling student enlists the help of a wideboy friend in pursuit of a hot date in a comedy that veers between likable and laddish
Here is a vibrant, idiosyncratic portrait of Ghanaian youth, bursting with wisecracks and a boyish restlessness. There is an amateurish shakiness to the visuals, but the film overcomes this with a lot of charm and an innate understanding of its young subjects.
Related: 20 best African films – ranked!
Continue reading...Blind date: ‘We were under a blanket for most of the evening’
Chris, 29, digital experience consultant, meets Ariana, 31, graduate student – in person!
What were you hoping for?
When I heard I had a date with a girl called Ariana from America, I was hoping it would be Ariana Grande.
Seeking fun guy: tall, with GSOH … and a Covid jab
For many who use dating apps to find their ideal partner, the willingness to have a vaccination is becoming a deal breaker
Before the pandemic, Neha knew exactly what she was looking for in a date: an athletic, liberal-minded guy who liked healthy living but wasn’t too outdoorsy. Ideally, he would be Indian like her. Party types were a no-no, pets were a turn-off. Now, multiple dating apps, three lockdowns and a handful of real-life dates later and Neha’s adding a new, elusive quality to that list: Covid vaccination status.
Related: Dating apps: is it worth paying a premium to find love?
Continue reading...‘She wanted $4,000 or she’d post the video’: how to deal with dating scams
Romance scams on social media and apps are on the rise – but there are steps you can take if you fall victim
The dating game is full of the unexpected: it can quickly become apparent that photographs might have been in rotation for a few years or that someone listing their height as 5ft 10in could only achieve that height on tiptoes. But while those deceits may be forgivable if you hit it off with your date, at the other end of the spectrum are far worse cons.
In 2020, with more of us stuck at home, often desperate for some company or conversation, the number of romance scams reported to the crime body Action Fraud rose by 15%. Over the past 18 months it has received reports of more than 7,000 cases, with losses totalling £69.7m – an average of almost £10,000 a victim.
Continue reading...From Naked Attraction to Love Is Blind: The couples who found lasting love on wild TV dating shows
These series rely on gimmicks - whether contestants are required to take off all their clothes or get married at first sight. But romance can flourish regardless
After a half-century of dating shows, the genre has grown increasingly outlandish. Naked dating, marrying complete strangers, secret cameras – it can’t be long before singletons are blasted into space in one of Elon Musk’s rockets to find love. But behind all the gimmicks, do any of these shows lead to long-lasting love? We spoke to four couples.
Continue reading...Blind date: ‘Describe him in three words? Better suited elsewhere’
Nicki, 26, charity worker, meets Kris, 29, musician
What were you hoping for?
It was something new for me, so I went in with an open mind.
Monkeys and eggplants: how do men and women use emojis differently?
Studies have pointed to a gender gap and dating coaches agree – but researchers’ findings don’t always match stereotypes
It’s 2021, and despite some great advances in space exploration, we are no closer to really knowing whether men are from Mars and women are from Venus. In fact, the growing consensus is that we’re all from Earth, and people are more complex than we usually give them credit for.
But what if there were a way of unlocking some of the hidden trends that exist among men and women, which reveal how they think, see themselves and communicate? And what if it were ... emojis?
Continue reading...Blind date: ‘The best thing about him? His shirt’
Robyn, 32, credit controller, meets Danny, 36, radio presenter/DJ
What were you hoping for?
Another way to meet someone. Failing that, another way to spend my Saturday night.