Features

Dating in later Life

With St Valentine’s Day in mind, Louise Duffield hears some expert advice for those returning to the dating game A

Addition Reporting by Kelleigh Bowen

Dating can be invigorating and fun – whatever your age. However, it can also be a little daunting, especially if it’s been a while since you’ve done any.

Things may have changed, the way people meet may have altered, but it’s never too late to give it a go.

A survey of 2500 online daters by dating website Elite Singles last year showed that romance can happen at any time. Even after break-up, separation and divorce, 96 per cent believe you can fall in love at any age, and 87 per cent of single over-70s believe love could be just around the corner for them. Sixty per cent of seniors still believe in love at first sight, and superficial attraction remains important; the face, chest and bottom were voted the top three most attractive features in an older person.

The Colour Report, by retirement housebuilder McCarthy and Stone, looked at life in retirement and discovered that 19 per cent of pensioners polled were a member of an online dating service, rising to 27 per cent of those aged between 70 and 74. Some 33 per cent of 65 to 74-year-olds said they had been successful and met someone special, compared with 24 per cent aged 75-plus.

“And perhaps reflective of their independent and active lifestyles, one in five said that even though they didn’t meet anyone special, they enjoyed a few nice dates,” says the report.

Last year, the BBC commissioned a report by Mintel which looked at the dating habits of the over-55s. The report revealed that 35 per cent of British people over 55 were single at the time.

The most popular way to meet a new partner was through family and friends, followed by socialising and work, and then via the internet, according to the survey of 2000 people. Mintel discovered that more than one in five 55 to 64-year-olds had met a new partner or date through a website or app.

To find out how to get the most out of each of these methods, continue reading here

Are you dating in later life? Have these tips helped you? 

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