Dating can seriously damage your sanity. Single girl Rachel Roberts reveals her worst ever date

A married friend of mine confided in me last week that she missed going out on dates. Which can only mean that A) She's completely lost her marbles, or B) She's living proof that time really heals any scars.

As anyone lost in the wilderness of singledom will tell you, the only people who think that dating is fun are the ones who don't need to do it anymore.

When actress Amanda Holden was single she moaned: 'I'm not enjoying dating. It makes me feel like I'm on a motorway, waiting to be hit.' I know what it feels like to be dating road-kill. My last dating experience felt more like punishment than pleasure.

It started so promisingly - a perfect blue sky, a trip to the seaside, and a naughty night in a hotel. But as with any recipe, it only takes one wrong ingredient to ruin the taste. Step forward, Greg*, who made the experience inedible.

We'd been seeing each other for a few weeks, and I thought it had potential - a 'slow-burner'.

That was until we were on the train and Greg started pulling very strange faces. He'd had a curry the night before and was suffering a bad case of 'ring sting'. I waited for him to tell me he was joking. He didn't.

Well, I reasoned with myself, at least he's not going into too much detail.

No, he saved that until later. When we arrived at the hotel, he told me he had to go and 'lay some cable' in the toilet.

With the return train not running until the next morning, I had no choice but to stay. I did what any self-respecting girl in my position would do. Order a drink.

Thanks to a few Jack Daniels, I survived the evening and passed out in bed later on.

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I'm a single girl, get me out of here!