Beds are stripped early in the morning, aired and made with strict hospital corners (duvets are regarded as the work of the devil). But it got me thinking, what do couples really do in their beds?
As an Italian I know that the bed is a sacred place used only to further the Catholic race or sleep in (after having said your prayers). If the lascivious Bill spent more time in bed with his wife, she probably wouldn’t have needed to give the interview in the first place. But actually, we all do much more mundane things in our beds. Last week Hillary Clinton revealed in an interview that she and Bill “like to lie in bed and watch old movies – you know, those little individual video machines you can hold in your lap?” It is perhaps not surprising that this is the bed-place activity that Hills chooses to reveal.

I drew up a list once of my criteria for the perfect man, and my friend crowed with laughter, saying “Susie, men like that don’t exist” They do you know. I’m madly in love and always will be, and it’s thanks to Dateline I really believe that.. Bed. Depending on where you are in your life you will either think “that safe, warm place I sleep in” or you will snigger and think of arms and legs (sometimes more than two pairs of each) intertwined and bouncing up and down. I paid about pounds 150 to join Dateline and it’s the best thing I ever did. I’m so happy with Colin – he’s so good, so loving, so considerate, there’s nothing about him I don’t adore I’m so happy I’m almost scared by it. The last bloke I met needed a personality transplant.I think there are dating agencies, and then there are dating agencies.

I was just an ordinary person looking for some love and comfort I tried blind dates too and I vowed never again. The voicemail message explained, really pompously, that the man in queston earned very good money, was off to the Maldives for Christmas and that his last girlfriend was blonde and size 10 I’m a size 18 and I thought, “well that’s that”. I would never have had the chance to do anything like that if I hadn’t joined a dating club.Previously I had tried alternatives to dating agencies. I called someone from a lonely hearts column once, and it was a disaster.

Had I not met Colin, I’d still have had the opportunity to go and meet some nice, characters, have a meal, gone to a show, and formed some platonic friendships along the way. For example, I met one perfectly nice bloke – very clever, polite, and friendly. We weren’t right for each other but we said we’d keep in touch and we had a fun time. But even if I hadn’t met Colin, a dating agency would have been well worth the money for me.

I call it fate, but yes, there is an element of chance there. I called him on the Monday, met him on the Friday, and two weeks later we were engaged! Two years on we’re still blissfully happy.Some people will say that’s just good luck. I was given six names and the last of the six turned out to be my future husband, Colin. That’s when my friend suggested I try a dating agency.That was in April last year. It’s just sad, isn’t it? I’d rather not go out at all if that’s all I could manage socially.I remember Valentine’s Day when I was 37: I’d just moved into a new house, bought brand new furniture, and should have felt happy But all I got through the mail was a BT bill I felt quite sorry for myself. All my friends had partners, and where would I go on my own? There’s still a stigma about women going out into bars or restaurants, and I’m not the sort of person who could book a table for one and sit in a corner. I’d had bad luck with men, and I was on the verge of giving up on ever meeting someone who would love and respect me and make me feel wanted.Part of my problem was that, as a piano teacher, I work from home, so meeting people wasn’t easy.