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'I went to Paris to see if love is alive and realised not everyone just wants a bonk'

EXCLUSIVE: In a time where it feels like romance is dead, Senior Features Writer Layla Nicholson was invited to the epicentre of love in an attempt to be convinced it's still alive and kicking - but is it?

[Layla ]

Senior Features Writer Layla Nicholson headed off to the city of love to see if it still exists(Image: Layla Nicholson)

With divorce on the rise and cheating scandals taking over headlines on the regular, it can be difficult to still believe in love. Let's face it, who doesn't know someone in the pits of lovers spats and ghosting drama right now?

From Gen Zs favourite 'it' couple Molly Mae and Tommy Fury parting ways to This Morning royalty Eammon Holmes and Ruth sacking in their 14 year marriage - can anyone truly be happy nowadays? Well, despite what seems to be a surge of heartbreak in the last couple of months, it looks like romance is not dead after all.

But, I had to travel all the way on the Eurostar to realise that my views, much alike others, are perhaps a little cynical when it comes to modern day romance.

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To describe Paris as the romantic hotspot of the globe might be a clich, but in this case it makes for the epicentre of love and its second chances.

Meetic, the French brand behind Match.com and Ourtime, serves as the hub for singletons willing to cough up for cuddles and canoodling - so they've whisked me and a bunch of couples to show why they're the boss in the game of forging real relationships.

[Layla]

It was rather romantic cruising up and down the Seine (Image: Layla Nicholson)

['I went to Greek isle plagued with tourists and influencers the new tax is good thing']

OPINION

[We visited Thorpe Park Fright Nights and maze with pole dancing demon reeked of p*ss]

OPINION

Match.com has been a real trailblazer for online dating since its birth in the 90s, with Ourtime being a newer platform aimed at empowering and giving the confidence to the over 50s to find love. The former strives for its users to practice 'healthy dating' so they can form serious relationships - something people are struggling to develop in the dating wild west of 2024.

Stepping out of the Gare Du Nord station feels as such. Though no tumbleweeds, it does have a stench of pee and cigarettes - how chic!

While the train station might not exude romance, our dinner setting for the first night most certainly did. Maybe that's why love is dying as the modern day of 'wining and dining' has become chirpsing over a cheeky Nando's?

So good job I find myself on a floating restaurant sat down to demolish a dinner and wine pairing developed by chef Alain Ducasse who happens to have 21 Michelin stars - which is code for he's bloody good in a kitchen!

Aboard the Ducasse sur Seine, I tuck into all sorts of fancy pants grub which hopefully doesn't raise the standards for my stomach - it will be a meal deal when I'm back on home turf. Feasting on the likes of caviar topped salmon, posh chicken and butter good enough to have you drooling, certainly put me in the lovey dovey mood.

[salmon ]

My stomach fell in love with the grub...(Image: Layla Nicholson)

Oh, and of course the Eiffel Tower glowing as the backdrop as I'm sipping Moet cruising down the Seine. Good food (and booze) is most definitely the way to a heart - but mine is not the reason while we are here.

The day after feeling like I'm in some very chic romance movie, I head to cupid HQ - or the offices of Meetic - to meet up with some of the couples on the trip who have met through Ourtime and Match.com.

Are they barking mad to meet a stranger online to fall in love with or did they make the right move to finally connect with their beloved? Well, it sure is the latter.

'Headless pint'

Rachel ,35, and Craig Blackburn,40, from Coventry, met on Match.com back in 2019 just before the world turned into a massive sham thanks to Covid (remember that?).

They managed to both get through the plague and their then-new relationship survived too. The lawyer and mechanical fitter got the hots for each other quickly and are now married thanks to first meeting on the dating app.

Rachel said: Weve both been married before, you had kids and I didnt. And because we were both a little bit older we knew what we didnt want and we wanted people that were serious about dating and that could offer long term.

[Rachel and Craig]

Rachel and Craig got hitched after meeting on Match.com(Image: Damon Rigter/ Nomadi Studio)

Match.com fit that as you could filter out what you didnt like, get more compatibility, it was an easy process and felt safe I didnt feel scared about meeting anyone from there as youre vetted a bit more.

The thing I do like about online dating is that you can get to know someone a bit before you meet them so you can see if theres a vibe there.

Rachel found dating on Match.com put her at ease, which was helped by the online dating site's compatibility tool - and she hit the jackpot with dad Craig.

But it could have all gone pair shaped as the mechanical fitter was delayed for their first date. He walked in 45 minutes late to a displeased Rachel - who was going to leave in 15 minutes - and a headless pint. With his charm, and clumsiness, he was able to win her over.

"Craig was 45 minutes late to our first date, Rachel chuckled. If it got to the hour it probably wouldnt have happened. He also turned up in his work uniform and strolled in 45 minutes late. Id already bought him a pint and it was flat.

"Id nearly got through a glass of wine so he turned up hes quite tall so banged his head on the light. So our first date was memorable but we had a great laugh!

'Spanner in the works'

Warren, 52, from Wolverhampton, and Kerri, 51, from Dudley, live pretty much around the corner from each other so you would think they would have crossed paths before - and you'd be right.

It turns out that Our Time was needed to bring the pair back together after they had a cheeky snog in a bar 33 years ago. Since then, they were nothing more than a 'pull' in their 20s - but now they're due to be married.

With both of them being in failed marriages prior, Ourtime was able to give Kerri and Warren a second chance at love and with each other.

And Kerri wasted no time. She explained: "You dont know what youre going into joining on Our Time, it took a lot of guts for me but I have no regrets.

[Kerri and Warren]

Kerri and Warren met through Ourtime after snogging 33 years prior (Image: Damon Rigter/ Nomadi Studio)

"As you get older, your priorities change and youre looking for different things in a person . What you look for in your 20s is different to your 30s, 40s and 50s. But fancy meeting someone you met back in your 20s!

"I proposed to him on the 29th Feb on a moonlit balcony in Tenerife. When we first got together, he joked that a 17mm ring spanner could perfectly fit around his ring finger

"So I ordered a 17mm spanner with Warren, will you marry me on it. The early hours of the 29th I got on one knee!

"Thats the thing with Ourtime, youve got the opportunity to meet anyone in the world and then you meet someone round the corner who youve already met 33 years on."

'Love after death'

Tracey, 54, from Merseyside, thought she had it all until her husband of 30 years tragically passed away. At the age of 50, the mum thought she would grow old and alone as a widow.

Yet, this wasn't the end for Tracey and romantic love - nor was it the end for Warren, 54, a cancer survivor. The bloke had a new lease of life and decided he wanted to share it with another, so joined Ourtime in what he thought was his best bet.

[Warren and Tracey]

Warren and Tracey found love after tragedy (Image: Damon Rigter/ Nomadi Studio)

And it was a gamble that most certainly paid off. Tracey signed up for the site in hopes to give her heart another chance of connection. The dating site gave her the confidence and within weeks met Warren.

She bravely said: "I became a widow nearly 3 years ago and I was married for 31 years. And it got to the stage coming up to two years where I was lonely and didnt want to be on my own.

"Then I saw Ourtime advertise on the TV and thought it was the perfect thing for dating as I hadnt dated since I was a teenager.

"After what weve been through, Im a widow and Warren is a cancer survivor so we are both lucky and both aware how precious life is.

"Weve been abroad to Turkey together and that was beautiful, but last night was beautiful on the Seine - it is the city of love."

[paris]

Love is very much still alive, you might just have to come to the city of love to realise that(Image: Layla Nicholson)

Nowadays, bonk might be on the brains of many. But, it's not at the forefront of all.

It's easy to become desensitised to human connection as we constantly have it at our finger tips - it's often taken for granted. Therefore, people can associate that dating apps are just for a quick fix.

However, Match.com and Ourtime certainly have shown that online dating has the power to pull people together after heartbreak - or even years apart. They are re-humanising dating in the digital world and showing that love stories can still exist - despite all the doom and gloom in the world.

True love might be on its last legs, but Paris, and Meetic, sure know how to resurrect it.

The author travelled with Meetic, Europes leading name in dating services, including brands like Match and Ourtime, which help singles seeking serious relationships, regardless of age or style. To find out more, visit uk.match.com and ourtime.co.uk

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