Latest news with #AnnaRichardson
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Naked Attraction host Anna Richardson details her experience dating both men and women as she reveals which gender she finds easier to be in a relationship with
Naked Attraction host Anna Richardson has revealed which gender she finds easier to date as she reflected on dating both men and women. Anna split from former Bake Off host Sue Perkins, 53, in June 2021 after eight years together, with a source stating at the time that they were both 'devastated'. She has been dating charity boss Simon Perkins since October 2022 after they met through mutual friends - whom she says brought 'a huge injection of energy' to her love life. Reflecting on her time dating both men and women, Anna explained to The Sun that being with a man is 'less complicated and less emotional'. She explained that being with a man is a 'cliché' as she quipped that 'as long as you feed them and let them watch footie' then they are happy. Anna told the publication: 'Dating a guy is, in some ways, less complicated'. 'Dating a woman means you understand each other implicitly because you're both female. 'Both parties understand that they're emotional creatures. This can be very challenging and intense, but also very exciting.' Anna was previously with partner Charles Martin for 18 years prior to beginning a relationship with Sue in in 2013 after meeting at a Halloween party. At the time of her break-up with Sue, a source told The Sun: 'It's really sad. Both Anna and Sue are devastated. 'We're all hoping they can patch things up and sort out their differences but for now it appears to be all over.' Meanwhile, in May 2022, the TV star admitted that 'you never get used to heartbreak' following their split in a revealing interview. The presenter spoke to OK magazine about love as well as her fears of growing older, admitting she's 'filled with dread' at the prospect of what could happen in the future. She explained: 'I suppose I don't know whether you become more resilient as you get older, but heartbreak is still that mystery that needs to be solved, and how you get over it and become stronger'. The couple, who dated for eight years, allegedly parted ways after Sue's reluctance to start a family, with Anna previously revealing she had thought about adopting a child and felt that 'time is running out' for her to do so. Anna went on to reveal, 'it's a really fundamental and visceral realisation [if you haven't had children] that, 'Oh my God, I can't do that anymore.' Even if I wanted to.' She added that she feels 'slow, inexorable dread' when she thinks about the next 30 years of her life, saying: 'It seems to be a bit of a decline. And it's very, very difficult.' MailOnline exclusively revealed in June 2022 that nobody else was involved in Sue and Anna's decision to split, which the couple made with 'a heavy heart'. A source said: 'The split is as amicable as these things can ever be. After so long together it wasn't an easy decision to make and they both did so with heavy hearts. 'But Sue and Anna are determined to remain friends and keep in touch. Nobody else is involved and now the pair are throwing themselves into work.' It was reported Anna moved out of their shared £2million North London home to live in Staffordshire to be close to her mum, who is caring for her father who is suffering from dementia. Speaking to The Telegraph in 2015 about the start of her romance with Sue, Anna explained she had known Sue for years, but it was a meeting her at a party after her separation from Charles, that made her realise she felt something more than just friendship. She gushed: 'When I was invited to the party, I was told Sue would be going and I felt, what, a frisson? A spark of interest? And I thought: 'Hmm, that's interesting'. There was something in the air. 'It was an extraordinary night. I was dancing on the table. It felt like a defining moment in my life.' She wasn't keen on giving herself a label in regards her sexuality at the time, after she had previously spent almost two decades with a man. 'For me, it's just a case of I am who I am. I'm not interested in being labelled gay or straight, my sexuality is fluid. I just happen to have fallen in love with a woman - simple as that,' she explained.
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
I've dated both men and women… I know which sex is easier, says Naked Attraction host Anna Richardson
SHE'S best known for hosting Channel 4's controversial Naked Attraction, but Anna Richardson's own love life is almost as intriguing as the TV dating show. Following the end of an eight-year relationship with comedian and presenter Sue Perkins, Anna is now loved up with charity boss Simon Marks. 5 Naked Attraction host Anna Richardson's love life is almost as intriguing as the TV dating show Credit: Camera Press 5 Anna was in an eight-year relationship with comedian and presenter Sue Perkins Credit: Alamy 5 Anna is now loved up with charity boss Simon Marks Credit: BackGrid And she's clear that even though she puts no labels on her sexuality, she definitely...
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
I've dated both men and women… I know which sex is easier, says Naked Attraction host Anna Richardson
SHE'S best known for hosting Channel 4's controversial Naked Attraction, but Anna Richardson's own love life is almost as intriguing as the TV dating show. Following the end of an eight-year relationship with comedian and presenter Sue Perkins, Anna is now loved up with charity boss 5 Naked Attraction host Anna Richardson's love life is almost as intriguing as the TV dating show Credit: Camera Press 5 Anna was in an eight-year relationship with comedian and presenter Sue Perkins Credit: Alamy 5 Anna is now loved up with charity boss Simon Marks Credit: BackGrid And she's clear that even though she puts no labels on her sexuality, she definitely finds being with a woman can be more emotionally complex. 'Dating a guy is, in some ways, less complicated,' Anna, 54, admits. 'Dating a woman means you understand each other implicitly because you're both female. 'Both parties understand that they're emotional creatures. "This can be very challenging and intense, but also very exciting. 'It's wonderful, beautiful and very complex. 'I've loved being in relationships with women, but I find that men are less complicated, less emotional. 'It's a cliché, but as long as you feed them, let them watch footie and the rest, they're happy. 'Whereas it's a whole different ball game when you're with a girl.' Anna was in a relationship with TV director Charles Martin for 18 years. Naked Attraction's Anna Richardson reveals reality of friendship with ex Sue Perkins But when that ended in 2012, she fell for But following an 'excruciatingly painful' They have now been dating for three years and Anna — candid as ever when it comes to intimacy — says 'There's something wonderful about meeting somebody new that makes you realise, 'Oh, I'm not dead from the waist down. "Actually, I can experience amazing sex like I had in my twenties',' said the 'It is possible to recapture it, but it takes work.' Ultimately, Anna insists it is not about whether her lover is male or female — it is about that all-important emotional connection. 'For me, it's about finding the person attractive rather than their sexuality,' she explains. 'Are they floating my boat? Am I into them? 'SEXUAL IDENTITY' "It doesn't matter to me what gender they are. 'I've always been really clear about it, because people do like to stick a label on you — you're gay, you're straight, you're bisexual or whatever. 'But the only label I need is my name.' Recent statistics suggest that more and more women are experimenting with their sexuality. A study by the University of Notre Dame in the US found that women were Although Anna has previously refused to label herself, insisting, 'I have never, ever called myself bisexual', she would always urge people to explore their sexual identity. 'There are far more people questioning their sexuality these days,' she says. 'It is more accepted, but people, going back millennia, have always been gender fluid. It's just the state of being human. 'But we're in the mid-2020s and, with the rise of social media and self-expression, it is more acceptable than ever before. I applaud that. 'At the end of the day, we all just want to be loved.' After three years with Simon, Anna says she is now questioning the next step in their relationship. 5 Anna was in a relationship with TV director Charles Martin for 18 years, until they split in 2012 Credit: Channel4 'We're both in our fifties and relationships are so different now to when you're in your twenties,' she says. 'We've both had broken relationships. 'I was with Sue for eight years and in a very long relationship before that. 'Simon's been through a divorce. "So yeah, we're at that stage now where we're looking at the relationship and wondering what we'll do next. 'What does commitment look like? "Neither of us is in any hurry to get married or anything, but do we move in together? I don't know.' As much as she might be smitten with Simon, the relationship guru admits there are certain benefits to living apart. 'I like my own space. If I want to drop my clothes on the floor in the bedroom, then I will,' she says. 'Do I really want a fella around all the time? And does he want me around all the time? We'll see.' As for her relationship with Sue, Anna says they have since 'I think we have brilliantly navigated coming through a painful break-up and we are now very firm friends,' she says. Being part of Naked Attraction has made me realise there is no such thing as a perfect body — and that's made me more body confident Anna Richardson 'We see each other regularly. We'll be in each other's lives, I hope, for ever. 'We formed a really beautiful friendship. We've got each other's backs and that's what it's all about.' The last series of Naked Attraction aired in March 2024 and, while there were reports that the raunchy show 'I've got everything crossed. People love it — viewers and participants,' she smiles. In an era where surgery, tweakments and social media filters can give us a distorted view of what real bodies look like, Anna says Naked Attraction proves that people come in all shapes and sizes. Hosting the show, she says, has even helped boost her own self-esteem. 'Actually, being part of 'It's made me more accepting of my body. "Whatever you've been born with is perfectly OK, and I'm just very grateful that I've got a healthy body.' For some viewers, 'I must have seen well over a thousand naked penises,' she says. 'I think I've seen every bit and bob going. 5 Anna has hosted Naked Attraction since it began in 2016 Credit: handout "I consider myself to be a kind of honorary gynaecologist, for both men and women.' With so much naked flesh on display, Anna admits that the male contestants can sometimes get a little 'excited'. She adds: 'There have been times when we've had to stop filming because some of the guys were getting a bit frisky. 'We've had to tell them to step outside the room for a few minutes, then rejoin the game when they've calmed down. 'Of course, we get peacocks — excuse the pun — on the show. You've got to be very body confident and I applaud that. "Inevitably, you get fellas who are very pleased with themselves, twitching their pecs and constantly fiddling with their kn*bs. "But that's fellas for you.' She also let slip the reason why female hopefuls ask for the air conditioning to be cranked up, adding: 'When it's cold, their nipples are harder.' 'HOLIDAY FLING' With Naked Attraction on a hiatus, Anna is currently busy with her advice podcast, It Can't Just Be Me, and a true crime podcast, The Mayor And The Mystic. She has also teamed up with iD mobile, who are encouraging Brits to enjoy holiday romances by giving customers inclusive data roaming minutes when they travel abroad. Having enjoyed an 'old-school holiday romance' herself when she was 17, Anna is all for the idea. 'I went camping in the south of France with my mates, met a local French lad called Julien and had a lovely holiday fling,' she recalls. 'We did write to each other for a bit, but sure enough, the letters fizzled out. 'Who knows what might have happened if we'd had mobiles and free data roaming back then?' Anna Richardson has partnered with iD Mobile, the UK's No1 network for roaming, to show how mobile data charges can be a major turn-off for holiday romance. See
The Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I've dated both men and women… I know which sex is easier, says Naked Attraction host Anna Richardson
SHE'S best known for hosting Channel 4's controversial Naked Attraction, but Anna Richardson's own love life is almost as intriguing as the TV dating show. Following the end of an eight-year relationship with comedian and presenter Sue Perkins, Anna is now loved up with charity boss Simon Marks. 5 And she's clear that even though she puts no labels on her sexuality, she definitely finds being with a woman can be more emotionally complex. 'Dating a guy is, in some ways, less complicated,' Anna, 54, admits. 'Dating a woman means you understand each other implicitly because you're both female. 'Both parties understand that they're emotional creatures. "This can be very challenging and intense, but also very exciting. 'It's wonderful, beautiful and very complex. 'I've loved being in relationships with women, but I find that men are less complicated, less emotional. 'It's a cliché, but as long as you feed them, let them watch footie and the rest, they're happy. 'Whereas it's a whole different ball game when you're with a girl.' Anna was in a relationship with TV director Charles Martin for 18 years. Naked Attraction's Anna Richardson reveals reality of friendship with ex Sue Perkins But when that ended in 2012, she fell for telly fave Sue, 55, after — in her words — 'the planets aligned' one night. But following an 'excruciatingly painful' break-up in 2020, the star then fell for current squeeze Simon, a 'lovely man' who she met through friends. They have now been dating for three years and Anna — candid as ever when it comes to intimacy — says Simon, 57, has brought 'a huge injection of energy' to her love life. 'There's something wonderful about meeting somebody new that makes you realise, 'Oh, I'm not dead from the waist down. "Actually, I can experience amazing sex like I had in my twenties',' said the Shropshire -born star. 'It is possible to recapture it, but it takes work.' Ultimately, Anna insists it is not about whether her lover is male or female — it is about that all-important emotional connection. 'For me, it's about finding the person attractive rather than their sexuality,' she explains. 'Are they floating my boat? Am I into them? 'SEXUAL IDENTITY' "It doesn't matter to me what gender they are. 'I've always been really clear about it, because people do like to stick a label on you — you're gay, you're straight, you're bisexual or whatever. 'But the only label I need is my name.' Recent statistics suggest that more and more women are experimenting with their sexuality. A study by the University of Notre Dame in the US found that women were three times more likely than men to identify as bisexual. Although Anna has previously refused to label herself, insisting, 'I have never, ever called myself bisexual', she would always urge people to explore their sexual identity. 'There are far more people questioning their sexuality these days,' she says. 'It is more accepted, but people, going back millennia, have always been gender fluid. It's just the state of being human. 'But we're in the mid-2020s and, with the rise of social media and self-expression, it is more acceptable than ever before. I applaud that. 'At the end of the day, we all just want to be loved.' After three years with Simon, Anna says she is now questioning the next step in their relationship. 5 'We're both in our fifties and relationships are so different now to when you're in your twenties,' she says. 'We've both had broken relationships. 'I was with Sue for eight years and in a very long relationship before that. 'Simon's been through a divorce. "So yeah, we're at that stage now where we're looking at the relationship and wondering what we'll do next. 'What does commitment look like? "Neither of us is in any hurry to get married or anything, but do we move in together? I don't know.' As much as she might be smitten with Simon, the relationship guru admits there are certain benefits to living apart. 'I like my own space. If I want to drop my clothes on the floor in the bedroom, then I will,' she says. 'Do I really want a fella around all the time? And does he want me around all the time? We'll see.' As for her relationship with Sue, Anna says they have since patched up their differences and are good pals. 'I think we have brilliantly navigated coming through a painful break-up and we are now very firm friends,' she says. 'We see each other regularly. We'll be in each other's lives, I hope, for ever. 'We formed a really beautiful friendship. We've got each other's backs and that's what it's all about.' The last series of Naked Attraction aired in March 2024 and, while there were reports that the raunchy show had been cancelled, Anna hopes there will be more. 'I've got everything crossed. People love it — viewers and participants,' she smiles. In an era where surgery, tweakments and social media filters can give us a distorted view of what real bodies look like, Anna says Naked Attraction proves that people come in all shapes and sizes. Hosting the show, she says, has even helped boost her own self-esteem. 'Actually, being part of Naked Attraction has made me realise there is no such thing as a perfect body — and that's made me more body confident,' she admits. 'It's made me more accepting of my body. "Whatever you've been born with is perfectly OK, and I'm just very grateful that I've got a healthy body.' For some viewers, Naked Attraction can be an awkward watch, so spare a thought for Anna, who reckons she has seen it all during filming. 'I must have seen well over a thousand naked penises,' she says. 'I think I've seen every bit and bob going. 5 "I consider myself to be a kind of honorary gynaecologist, for both men and women.' With so much naked flesh on display, Anna admits that the male contestants can sometimes get a little 'excited'. She adds: 'There have been times when we've had to stop filming because some of the guys were getting a bit frisky. 'We've had to tell them to step outside the room for a few minutes, then rejoin the game when they've calmed down. 'Of course, we get peacocks — excuse the pun — on the show. You've got to be very body confident and I applaud that. "Inevitably, you get fellas who are very pleased with themselves, twitching their pecs and constantly fiddling with their kn*bs. "But that's fellas for you.' She also let slip the reason why female hopefuls ask for the air conditioning to be cranked up, adding: 'When it's cold, their nipples are harder.' 'HOLIDAY FLING' With Naked Attraction on a hiatus, Anna is currently busy with her advice podcast, It Can't Just Be Me, and a true crime podcast, The Mayor And The Mystic. She has also teamed up with iD mobile, who are encouraging Brits to enjoy holiday romances by giving customers inclusive data roaming minutes when they travel abroad. Having enjoyed an 'old-school holiday romance' herself when she was 17, Anna is all for the idea. 'I went camping in the south of France with my mates, met a local French lad called Julien and had a lovely holiday fling,' she recalls. 'We did write to each other for a bit, but sure enough, the letters fizzled out. 'Who knows what might have happened if we'd had mobiles and free data roaming back then?'
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Naked Attraction host Anna Richardson sinks claws into 'deeply unethical' Love Island - insisting she 'refuses to watch it in on a point of principle'
Naked Attraction host Anna Richardson has sunk her claws into the 'deeply unethical' ITV2 show Love Island - and has insisted that she 'refuses to watch it in on a point of principle'. The twelfth series of the programme returned to our screens last month and viewers have enjoyed the drama that has come along with it. Love Island, currently hosted by Maya Jama, 30, has become a huge fan favourite since it hit our screens in 2015, and has managed to get 1.4m views across all their platforms for this year's launch. But another popular, but very different show is Naked Attraction - and host Anna thinks that people love the Channel 4 programe so much because it's 'funny' and there are plenty of different bodies on display. While she thinks that Love Island doesn't have as much diversity when it comes to the representation of bodies. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Anna said: 'You're seeing a range of bodies, it makes you feel comfortable about your own [Naked Attraction]. 'And I personally have never, ever watched Love Island, so I kind of refuse, on point of principle, because I think that Love Island is a deeply unethical show. 'So what you're doing is you're showing youth and beauty and rivalry as a betrayal, as some kind of standard that we should be held up to, whereas N aked Attraction does the exact opposite. 'So yeah, I think it's about, I think it's a gloriously bonkers show about acceptance.' She added: 'When you scratch beneath the surface of negative attraction, it's actually about acceptance. 'It is about the fact that nobody's body is perfect. This is about vulnerability. It's about acceptance. 'It's about seeing you for who you really are in all your human glory, and people actually saying, do you know what? 'Whether I've got a stoma, or I have a disability, I've got one leg, or I'm in a wheelchair, whatever happens to be, or I'm a trans person on my journey, all of us deserve to be loved and accepted for who we are.' The programme hit our screens in 2016 and went on to air 65 episodes across seven series. More and more shows are now focusing on sex, with the likes of people losing their virginity on Virgin Island, and couples opening up their relationships on Open House: The Great Sex Experiment. Anna thinks that Naked Attraction has paved the way for those kind of programmes to exist. 'Everybody had a breakdown when Naked Attraction was announced, she told us. 'And, you know, the press went absolutely crazy... "This is a new low for, you know, new low and moral standards on British television". 'And of course, we were trailblazers, so now we've paved the way to things being more open and talked about and accepting. 'I've watched both Open House and Virgin Island, and I think they're both incredible formats. 'In terms of Open House, what they're doing, very cleverly there is just merely reflecting the fact that polyamory is on the rise, people are sexually open and curious. 'And Virgin Island? I think that's an extraordinary idea, that there are sex therapists out there that ultimately are prepared to have sex with people who have psychological issues around their virginity. 'Again, what you're dealing with here is issues of being vulnerable and people being human. Yeah, so I think they're both fantastic formats.' Many are desperate to know if the show will ever make a return, and Anna is hoping that it does happen in the future. 'I am desperate for it to come back,' Anna told us. 'I want a male campaign that basically says "Bring back Naked Attraction." 'It is wildly popular. People absolutely love it. It is funny. 'It's about acceptance. And I think at the moment, in a world where we're all actually a bit p***ed off and we feel ground down in this country, you know, there's a huge amount of division and anger.' She added: 'So the fact is, the truth is, I have no idea whether it's coming back. 'I really hope so, because it's a fun show to do, and it does very well, but I have no idea about about the politics of whether it is or not, but let's keep our fingers crossed.' The telly star has helped people try and find a suitable partner by stripping down and baring all on Naked Attraction, but there appears to be a more popular way of meeting people these days - and it includes being in a hotter climate. Anna has joined forces with iD Mobile, who have recently found out that more Brits than ever are dating abroad. She told us: 'The [dating] landscape in the UK is becoming more diminished, and people are going abroad, and off the back of that, they are then offering inclusive Data Roaming to 50 different countries that people can find love worldwide, basically with ease, without landing a huge bill at the end of it. 'But the the survey results are very, very interesting, just just given the fact that we know that 45% of people say that their best romantic experience happened abroad. 'Most of us have had a holiday romance. 'We know that around a third of people use dating apps when they go abroad to hook up with locals, but also because they're saying that actually, they get a more authentic experience of the town or the city that they're in if they use a language app or dating app.' Anna Richardson has partnered with iD Mobile to explore the rise in overseas dating and highlight how roaming charges are preventing millions of Brits from making meaningful connections abroad. With inclusive Roaming in more destinations than any UK network, iD Mobile is helping holidaymakers stay connected for love, fun and everything in between. Visit for more information.
