Odd couples = true love

2. Handsome men are lazy in bed

Oh to be a fly on the Opik/Irimia bedroom wall. We'd love to think that Lembit's night-time hijinks far outstretch those of your Pitts and your Depps. Quite simply, Lembit can't just lie there looking fit. He's got to make an effort.

The daters say:

'My friend briefly dated Adam last year, and I had to ask what she saw in him,' says divorced mum-of-one Sarah, 42. 'She said, straight out, that he was incredible in bed. When they split up I was a bit curious!

'Adam was short and I'm quite tall, and I would never normally have gone for him. But when he showed an interest, I had nothing to lose.

'Before him, I'd always assumed that I didn't like sex very much. After seeing Adam, I know that I love sex when it's with a partner who cares about my pleasure.

'Adam just seemed much less complacent than my more conventional-looking ex. He was generous and thoughtful... and he gave me my first multiple orgasm at the age of 42.'

Potential pitfalls:

Don't assume that the worst-looking men are the best in bed. On the contrary, says Isla, 30: 'I've had lots of one-night stands, and the worst-looking men are definitely not the best lovers. The good-lookers have had more experience, and the ugly guys can be quite nervous and insecure.'

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3. It pays to escape your dating rut

Most of us fall into a pattern of dating a 'type'. Maybe you always go for tall, brooding, studious types. Or you date energetic party animals who share your taste in music.

There are celeb déja vu daters everywhere. Kate Moss and her lean, cool-as-hell pretty boys; Pamela Anderson and her hairy tattooed rockers; Rod Stewart and his identikit blondes.

But if you're a type-dater, you may be doing yourself a disservice. It's not a bad move to date someone with a very different background from your own. You may find that you have lots more to talk about.

The daters say:

Set designer Kerry, 28, had a type. 'They always worked in a similar field to me and were always quite young. And it always fizzled out. We were obvious matches, but they bored me.

'My current man is totally different. A lot of people have wondered what I see in him, and they reckon he must have a massive package or wallet! But he just keeps me interested, because we're so different.

'He's 15 years older than me, divorced with two kids who live with him sometimes, and he works in a bank. He's not my type at all. But we talk and talk and talk, and I love his company.

'Having less in common is a real advantage. It's not the same old conversations about the latest club or TV programmes from when we were kids.

'When my friends say about their own relationships: 'oh he's amazing, we have so much in common,' I'd love to tell them what they're missing!'

Potential pitfalls:

If you've got nothing in common, it's probably because your tastes and life expectations are different. And when you're heading in opposite directions, whether it's in TV channels or planning kids, love gets tricky.

A big gap in age or taste may mean that you can't relate to each other's casual cultural references. Never underestimate the power of a good 'do you remember that episode of Top of the Pops...?' conversation.

Besides, people like people who are like them. It's one of those inescapable laws of attraction. Recent research even shows that people with similar names are more likely to fancy each other. Lembit and Gabriela? The jury's still out.

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