Dating and relationship advice you can really believe in.

It’s essential to have a varied and loyal group of friends, and never more so then when you embark upon the choppy waters of dating in the UK.  Do you recognise any of these five friend types in your group of mates?

The sidekick
Also known as the wingman, the sidekick is the guy every single man needs. He’s the guy you pick to go out with, the one who gives you the confidence to approach the opposite sex, and ultimately helps excel your dating career. When you are successful he congratulates you, and when things don’t go so well he keeps your confidence levels up. But choose him wisely: too effective and he’ll overshadow you, not effective enough, and you’re just two saddos hanging around a bar.

The eternal singleton
As you get older, single friends become more and more scarce. You want to go down your local for a few pints, but you find that most of your circle of friends are having a dinner party or attending a school play. This guy never seems to get close to settling down, whether that’s due to roguish behaviour or simple bad luck. What it does mean though, is that there’s always at least one person who’ll answer your call and go and watch the footy with you.

The platonic female friend
This lady is most certainly not, a ‘friend with benefits’. Maybe you’ve been there in the past, but  now you’re just like siblings. She will readily give you the female view on everything from appropriate dating topics, to whether your new shirt is a bit too loud. She’s also not going to take the mickey out of you for talking about your feelings (admit it, you do like to do that sometimes).

The escapist
Nothing to do with Houdini, this bloke is simply always up for a trip at a moment’s notice. Whether it’s a weekend sampling Guiness in Dublin or two weeks hiking the Inca Trail, he’ll be there. Everyone can benefit from this kind of guy around for those ‘what am I doing with my life?’ moments.

The shopping buddy
We know what you’re thinking: ‘I thought this was five essential guy friends, not five essential girl friends?’, but bear with us. Platonic female friend can make sure you choose a great Saturday date outfit, but your shopping buddy will help you choose that plasma TV. Like you he’s scoured the internet for ratings and reviews and he knows exactly which model is going to make your Blu-ray version of The Dark Knight look the best. He’ll also be happy to help with computers, cars, games consoles….