Eight out of 10 older daters are still searching for the loves of their lives
Most single people on the dating scene aged fifty and above say they are still looking for the loves of their lives - even though the majority of them have been married before.
They also maintain that the fifties are the best time in life to look for a partner and that teenage dating 'sucks'.
As the Royal Wedding puts the spotlight on couples who get together later in life, a new study of single daters in their fifties and above has revealed what it's like to be playing the dating game the second time around.
The findings are from the website Friends Reunited Dating, the sister site of internet phenomenon Friends Reunited. As many as one in six people registered on the dating service are over the age of 50, this is up from one in ten in the same period last year.
Rhoda Moore, Head of Romance at Friends Reunited, said: "Growing older clearly doesn't stop people continuing to look for the great loves of their lives.
"Indeed, Britain's older daters seem to be saying that the golden age of dating actually starts when you reach 50."
Some 300 women and 200 men between 50 and 70 from all over the country responded to Friends Reunited Dating's questionnaire.
Remarkably few people (just 3%) said they'd 'hate' for anyone to find out they were using online dating. Around half (46%) said they felt no sense of embarrassment at all. Indeed, a majority thought it was probably more embarrassing to use online dating as a younger person.
The other half said they weren't embarrassed, but they wouldn't actually shout about it.
One respondent said: "I tell people that 'We met through friends' - so I'm not actually being untruthful!"
The teenage years are voted far and away the worst for actually enjoying the dating experience. Dating in your fifties is said to be by far the most fun and relaxing. Seven out of ten older daters say they 'kiss' on a first date.
Perhaps it's because you no longer have to worry so much about your looks or being part of the in-crowd. Asked what they look for in a partner, both sexes put 'kindness' first, then 'fun', then 'looks' (true to form, though, men were twice as likely to be concerned about looks than were women).
Surprisingly perhaps, given the desire for financial security in later life, very few people said 'money' was important (1% of men, 3% of women).
The findings indicate that more than half (55%) of active older daters are divorced. A third (31%) are divorced people looking to remarry and a quarter are divorced people looking for some fun. One in 10 are looking to remarry after being widowed and 16 per cent are looking for fun after being widowed. Just one in ten are looking to marry for the first time.
Rhoda Moore said: "The Charles and Camilla romance, as two divorced people both looking for great love and kindness from each other, seems to reflect the general trend among other people who are dating in their fifties."
For case studies or to receive more information about Friends Reunited Dating, contact Carolynne Bull-Edwards or Victoria Reed on: 01883 717468 or email press@friendsreunited.co.uk
Friends Reunited Dating launched in 2003 and is the UK's fastest growing dating site. The site has over 350,000 dating members with around 1,000 new members, aged 18 to 80, joining the service every day - real people looking for genuine relationships. It is free to join, anonymous, confidential, and comes at a fraction of the price of most other sites.