Our Friendships Shouldn't Work...But They Do

Their relationships may be unusual, but these women embrace their unconventional friendships

- Kara O'neill

‘I DON’T USUALLY GIVE OUR AGES A SECOND THOUGHT’

Lisa Phillips, 50, is a confidence coach in Northamptonshire.

In summer 2014, Kirstie, a backpacker who was making a bit of extra cash as a cleaner, came to clean my flat in Sydney. I was 43, Kirstie was just 23. I liked her immediately. She loved animals, which was perfect as I had a cat, and she made me laugh. She, like me, was from the UK originally and had a quick-witted sense of humour I loved. Kirstie would visit every couple of weeks to clean, and we’d often chat well after her shift ended.

‘Shall we go out for dinner?’ I suggested one day. We ended up in a British fish and-chip restaurant in the city, bonding over our love of 80s pop music.

A few months later, I was looking for a new flatmate and Kirstie was in need of a place to stay, so I asked if she wanted to move in with me. She agreed, and it worked out brilliantly. Kirstie taught me how to cook – I’d always been rubbish, and she was excellent – and she’d always come to me for advice on things like dating.

When Kirstie announced she was moving back to the UK in 2016, I was gutted to see her go, but we kept in touch over video calls and messaged each other all the time.