I haven't had sex for a decade

After a difficult break-up, Emma Donaldson decided to swear off intimacy

- SAMANTHA BRICK

When the news first came through that the country was heading for lockdown due to the coronavirus, most of my friends started panicking at the prospect of being stuck inside with their other halves. I made sympathetic noises; but I wasn’t too alarmed. I knew I would find it easier than them, because for the past 10 years, I’ve been single and celibate, happily living alone.

In my 20s and 30s, I had relationships with mostly difficult, artistic types – men with no inclination towards a long-lasting relationship. At the time, I assumed that at some point I would meet someone, marry, have kids and settle down. But it never happened. By the time I hit 40, I’d accepted that most middle-aged guys came with history in the form of children and exes, and I willingly went along with that, accepting that I probably wasn’t their priority.

Facing devastation