Latest news with #virginity
The Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Virgin Island's Dave reveals why he's banned from speaking to surrogate after having sex with her live on TV
VIRGIN Island star Dave has revealed he hasn't kept in touch with sex surrogate Kat Slade since they had sex on the show. The 24-year-old accountant appeared on the Channel 4 reality show in the hope of learning about intimacy and confidence, and became the only star to lose his virginity on the series. 7 7 7 Viewers were gobsmacked as he was heard moaning and groaning as he was given guidance through his first sexual experience. However, since he's returned home from the Croatia retreat, he has completely cut contact with her – but it turns out there's a good reason. Speaking to DailyMail about his time with Kat, Dave said: 'It was explained very clearly to us that you don't stay in touch after – it's sort of two weeks, and that's it and then you move on.' He added that it wasn't easy to 'detach from feelings' but felt it was an important lesson to have those feelings and learn to let them go. During Dave's time on the series, he was seen growing close with surrogate and somatic practitioner Kat, whose job was to help the virgins come out of their shell and explore physical intimacy. This resulted in him having sex with Kat in the final episode, with the camera crews there to capture the moment for the series. Dave said that he didn't imagine losing his virginity on the show, thinking it would be a private moment. However, he joked it ended up being 'between me and a really lovely woman and all of Channel Four's viewers'. 'It's strange. It's really strange,' he said. 'But I don't think it's a bad thing.' However, he noted: 'I wasn't, obviously, wasn't in love with her anything, but I respected her greatly. I don't think I was too worried about falling in love.' Virgin Island star reveals if he's had sex since the show and what happened after cameras stopped rolling Since leaving the show, David has managed to find romance, and has now been dating his girlfriend for over a year. 'I don't think if you would have told me a year ago that I'm going to be in a position where I have a girlfriend, and we're having a great life together, I would have just not believed whatsoever,' he said. 7 7 7
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
I'm still a virgin at 47 after my parents' relationship made me terrified of intimacy - and I developed a damaging addiction
A man says he is still a virgin at 47 as he is 'petrified' to be intimate with anyone. Andrew Brookman says he's always been 'timid' and struggled with bullying at school. His parents divorced when he was aged 10 which fuelled his fear of being social, getting into a relationship or being intimate with anyone, he claims. Andrew didn't want to go through arguments and had a 'fear of life' so felt he would 'rather be on my own'. He says his fears also stemmed from suppressing his sexuality and homophobia he saw at the time he was growing up. Porn became his 'only outlet' and reference for sex and Andrew says he struggled with an addiction to watching it for up to a two hours a night everyday when he was in his 30s. Now he is starting to open up about his sexuality and is no longer ashamed of being a 47-year-old-virgin. He feels he can relate to those on Channel 4's new show, Virgin Island - a unique course in intimacy to help them overcome the fears that are holding them back. Andrew, a cleaner, from Pontypridd, Wales, said: 'I've never been in a relationship. 'Watching other people get divorced - and seeing arguments gave me a fear of being social and intimate. 'I didn't want to go through all that. 'I'd rather be on my own. 'You feel a sense of shame [being a virgin]. 'Having no confidence, no self-esteem and no self-worth and being repressed of sex drove me to seek therapy because I was petrified of getting intimate with anybody. 'I am not ashamed of being a virgin at 47.' Andrew struggled growing up and always felt he was 'different'. He said: 'I've always been timid and quiet. 'I've always been afraid, I've always been emotional. 'I got bullied in school. 'I was different. I was odd.' As a teenager he 'fancied girls' but didn't know how to progress any further. He said: 'I wanted to move forward but I couldn't because of my confidence.' At aged 16, Andrew realised he was attracted to men and gay but he was fearful of opening up about his sexuality due to homophobia in society at the time. He said: 'The fear grew. 'I went into the closet.' In his late 20s he had therapy and was put on anti-depressants but Andrew still struggled to get passed his fear. He also tackled a porn addiction in his 30s when he got his own place - which saw him watch gay porn every night. Andrew said: 'It was my only outlet. It was my only way of feeling sex and seeing sex. 'I wanted to be doing it as well. I was jealous of them [the porn stars]. 'I was enraged that I couldn't even have sex in private.' Now he is starting to let his walls down by writing a book - Colours of a rare bird. He says writing how he feels down has helped him overcome shame and he has volunteered for the first time ever at his local pride. Andrew says he dislikes that people will laugh about others being virgins. He said: 'It's not funny. By now I should be openly gay - I should be in a relationship. 'I'm not afraid to admit it now [that he's a virgin].' The topic of virginity has been front and centre in popular culture due to the popularity of reality show Virgin Island. The six-part series featured 12 individuals who were still virgins - Zac, Charlotte, Pia, Ben, Taylor, Emma, Tom, Jason, Dave, Viraj, Holly, and Louise. They all travelled to Croatia with the aim of losing their virginity on camera. Aged between 22 and 30 years old, the first-timers worked with a range of sex and relationship coaches, sexologists, 'bodyworkers' and even tantric masseurs to help them overcome their fears of intimacy. Those on the coaching team ranged from four to 20-plus years older than the young virgins. They used their wealth of knowledge to guide them in one-on-one and group sessions throughout the course of the show. Dave, 24, had sex at the end of the retreat, with Holly going on to lose her virginity after filming ended in Summer 2024. The cast have a chat group, and according to Holly, she messaged the chat 'almost as soon as it happened', as she was 'excited to tell them'. Meanwhile, Charlotte, a 29-year-old care worker grew as a person while taking part in the retreat and has since been 'more comfortable' in her skin, and 'in romantic situations'. Civil servant Ben, 30, is still a virgin, but he has been busy speed dating; Emma has yet to have sex, and has been busy traveling Down Under since the show ended; and admin worker Jason, 25, has joined dating app Hinge. Louise, 22, has also been travelling around Australia. Her co-star Jason expressed an interest in her, and she said she would be down for a date with him if she decides to return home from New Zealand. Following her time in Croatia, 23-year-old Pia reunited with one of her exes. Drama student Tom, 23, who has not yet had sex, returned to Manchester University to continue his studies. Taylor, 29, bravely spoke out about her sexuality during the show, coming out as a lesbian, but despite growing so much as a person, she's still not slept with anyone since the show. Personal trainer Viraj, 25, who has yet to lose his virginity, is travelling around Australia. And delivery driver Zac, 28, was keen to lose his virginity during one of his sex surrogacy sessions during filming - but it didn't end up happening, and he is yet to have sex.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Virgin Island star reveals if he's had sex since the show and what happened after cameras stopped rolling
FOR Virgin Island star Ben Harris, a two-week stint in Croatia to learn about sex with intimacy experts has been life-changing - but not for the reason you might expect. The 31-year-old took part in the popular Channel 4 show last year having struggled to go "all the way" with previous partners. 2 2 He bravely opened up about his sex life - or lack, thereof - on camera in a bid to 'embrace his sexual energy' and help him lose his virginity. But within a week of arriving back in the UK, parliamentary researcher Ben faced another challenge when then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a general election. Despite hitting the ground running campaigning for Michael Fabricant MP, Ben became unemployed when the Conservative lost his seat on July 4. It meant that not only did Ben lose his job, but he also lost his newly acquired sex drive as he was forced to put his career first. Speaking to The Sun about his experience, Ben reveals he is still a virgin - but now has the tools he needed to have sex for the first time. "It wasn't like I was going there to lose my virginity," says Ben, who has a newfound confidence since filming Virgin Island. "But it's changed how I feel about being a virgin. I'm not proud so to speak, but I'm no longer ashamed of it in the same way I was. "Now I feel I have the tools that I didn't have before and the confidence and the mindset to do it now when I meet the right person." Ben took a couple of weeks off from his job in the House of Commons after telling boss Michael about Virgin Island last May. Michael followed in Ben's footsteps by going into television when he starred in this year's Celebrity Big Brother. Although he has not lost his virgin status, Ben has been speed-dating with his TV co-star Viraj and has been on several dates with three women over the past year. Ben added: "I really enjoyed working with the Virgin Island therapists. They made me look at myself in a different mindset. "I'm actually not ugly. I mean, I'm not a 10 out of 10, but I'm also not a two out of 10 like what I thought I was. "And while I have faced more rejection since, I am now able to process these setbacks in a much healthier and more positive way." Stream Virgin Island on Channel 4 now.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Where are the Virgin Island cast now? Inside the contestants' lives a year after filming - from new relationships to battling unemployment and surprising medical diagnosis
Virgin Island wrapped up on Tuesday evening and saw one of the stars lose their virginity in outrageous scenes. The finale saw the group of 12 adults - who had never had sex before - complete the sixth and final phase of the retreat - escalation - and that all meant different things to the contributors. Holly opened up about her sexuality to Dr Danielle Harel, Zac managed to finally get close with surrogate Kat Slade and Ben got fully naked in front of someone for the first time. Not only that, but Dave ticked off exactly what he wanted to do - have sexual intercourse with another person. The controversial programme was filmed in Croatia back in 2024 and many are keen to know what the cast are up to now - and if they have managed to do the deed. Right at the end of the last instalment, it was revealed that three more of the stars have lost their virginity, but that's far from all they've been up to since filming wrapped... Charlotte The show stated: 'Charlotte is enjoying her new found body confidence.' The 29 year old care worker grew as a person while taking part in the retreat and has since been 'more comfortable' in her skin, and 'in romantic situations'. But one big change that has occurred for Charlotte is her ADHD diagnosis - something that she now takes medication for. Ben Civil servant Ben, 30, is still a virgin, but he has been busy speed dating and has added three more women to his spreadsheet. However, shortly after returning home he lost his job as a parliamentary researcher for MP Michael Fabricant. Writing in The Times, Ben said: 'And yes, I am still a virgin, but I no longer consider it a source of humiliation or embarrassment. I wouldn't exactly call myself 'proud' to be a virgin either; it's just a simple description of my sexual status. 'While my experience on was extremely positive, my life since has been anything but, for reasons entirely unrelated to relationships or intimacy, I might add.' He added: 'Unfortunately, my worst fears were realised and in the early hours of July 5, my boss lost his seat, and I therefore lost my dream job. 'My shining source of pride, and the positive counterweight to my intimacy and self-image negativity, had been shattered into dust. 'Without a shadow of doubt this was the worst moment of my life.' Dave Dave has come on leaps and bounds since taking part in the retreat last year. According to the programme, accountant Dave, 24, has a new girlfriend. Speaking to The Sun about sleeping with his girlfriend, he said: 'Our first time together was amazing. 'I never would have been able to talk to her without this show. But I don't think my girlfriend will watch, for obvious reasons. 'She watched the first four episodes, but it's getting a bit much now. You don't want to see your partner with someone else, even if it was a year ago. 'She's openly said it's like watching a completely different person.' Emma During her time on the retreat the food worker, 23, grew close to her co-star Viraj and after filming they did go on a date together. However according to the show, nothing has happened between the pair since. Emma has been busy traveling Down Under. Holly Dog groomer Holly, 23, was one of the more quieter members of the cast, but opened up towards the end about her sexuality. She told Dr Danielle that she may be bisexual, but later bagged herself a boyfriend after filming and slept with him. The pair are no longer together. Speaking about the huge moment, Holly told The Sun: 'I messaged the chat almost as soon as it happened. I was excited to tell them.' Jason Admin worker Jason, 25, has joined dating app Hinge. One of the cast members caught his eye - Louise - and he did bite the bullet and ask her on a date. However she's not currently living in the UK, but isn't opposed going on one with him apparently. Louise At the end of Tuesday night's show, Virgin Island revealed that care advisor, 22, Louise has been busy travelling Australia. According to The Sun she would be down for a date with co-star Jason if she decides to return home from New Zealand. Pia The digital marketing assistant, 23, bravely opened up about her condition vaginismus. Vaginismus occurs when the vagina suddenly tightens up whenever penetration is attempted. During her time on the show she was able to enjoy pleasure with help from one of the sexperts. After her time in Croatia, Pia reunited with one of her exes. Drama student Tom, 23, spoke about his gender identity with the sexperts and the rest of the cast during the retreat. The show has said that he's had a 'fresh start' and decided to carry on studying and is still a student in Manchester. Since the show he hasn't slept with anyone. Tom said: 'I'm still single, and I haven't had a one-night stand in the last year, so I can't say I've put too much of it into practice.' Taylor Despite growing so much as a person, she's still not slept with anyone since the show After being terrified at the thought of being touched, Taylor managed to open up to surrogate Kat. The receptionist, 29, bravely spoke out about her sexuality and game out as a lesbian. Despite growing so much as a person, she's still not slept with anyone since the show. Viraj Personal trainer Viraj, 25, was very flirty with his co-star Emma during the retreat. The fitness fanatic is also travelling Australia, but not with Emma. Zac Delivery driver Zac, 28, was one of the most confident of the cast who joined the retreat. He was keen to lose his virginity during one of his sex surrogacy sessions, but it didn't end up happening. However he has said that expressing his thoughts and feelings is 'a work in progress'. At the end of the programme, the show stated: 'Zac is feeling positive for the future.' VIRGIN ISLAND: MEET THE CAST! NAME: EMMA AGE: 23 OCCUPATION: FOOD WORKER Emma said: 'I was the only virgin amongst my friendship group, I felt outnumbered. 'I believed I was the only human experiencing adult life without intimacy but I couldn't relax when there is the possibility of intimacy and I had to battle previous traumas. 'The fact that this concept was being brought to TV made me realise being over 21 and never having sex was not as rare as I thought it was.' NAME: BEN AGED: 30 Ben said: 'A friend sent me the casting call for Virgin Island on social media. I'm not sure if he knew I was a virgin, but he knew I'd struggled in this area. 'Funnily enough, my immediate response to his message was 'not a chance'.' NAME: DAVE AGE: 24 Dave said: 'An initial joke by some friends for some cheap laughs slowly became the opportunity of a lifetime. 'I have always struggled to open up to people but this led me to feel invisible - a feeling I couldn't take anymore. 'I felt like it couldn't continue and I wanted to do something drastic to get my life back on track. NAME: JASON AGE: 25 OCCUPATION: ADMIN WORKER Jason said: 'I always felt like a failure in terms of intimacy and socialness. 'I know the island was primarily for intimacy, but it had the amazing bonus of helping me improve my social skills – and for that, I will be forever grateful.' NAME: LOUISE AGE: 22 Louise said: 'I never really imagined applying for a show like Virgin Island but my friend sent me the application as a joke, and I thought, 'Why not?' 'I was at the point where I was willing to try anything. 'I had just accepted that there must've just been something wrong with me - I think the fact that my friends would see the word 'virgin' and think of me says enough to be honest.' NAME: CHARLOTTE AGE: 29 Charlotte said: 'Because I wanted to rid myself of my shame that I had surrounding my body, and my desire, and my ability to give myself pleasure. 'I wanted to be honest with myself so that I would not be hindered when having relationships in the future.' NAME: HOLLY AGE: 23 OCCUPATION: DOG GROOMER She said: 'I felt like I was at a point in my life where I was ready to experience being with someone, but I had a lot of anxiety and questions about myself that I felt I had to work through before taking that step. 'I was definitely nervous, not knowing what to expect, what the others were going to be like, whether I was actually going to get anything out of it.' NAME: PIA AGE: 23 Pia said: 'I applied for Virgin Island because of my struggles with vaginismus. 'I wanted to overcome the pain and anxiety I felt when exploring penetrative sex. 'Plus, I found intimacy incredibly overwhelming.' NAME: TAYLOR AGE: 29 Taylor said: 'I spent my whole adult life wondering why I found sexual things so difficult when others didn't. 'When I was a teenager, the risks of sex seemed to far outweigh the benefits, the only benefit anyone spoke of was babies, and I certainly wasn't ready for one of those. NAME: TOM AGE: 23 Tom said: 'I always found myself to be a freak because I struggled to lose my virginity whilst others around me continued to pop their cherries. 'It severely affected my mental health, filling me with self-loathing which in turn made me a worse person.' NAME: VIRAJ AGE: 25 Viraj said: 'I had a massive struggle to express myself in front of women. 'For me it wasn't about the intimacy stage but more with the confidence side of talking to women and making small talk. 'This whole idea was encouraged by my friends for me to get out of my comfort zone and go through with this.' NAME: Zac AGE: 23 Zac said: 'There was a man reporting that Channel 4 was looking for adult virgins to take part in an experimental TV show. This was of course describing me. 'At first I was like - no way, I'm not gonna do that, but I started to think about it more and more, and I realised that I wasn't really getting anywhere by myself, time was just passing me by with no real positive change.'
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The moment Virgin Island contestant finally has sex with surrogate in 'marathon session' as fans are left stunned by the racy scenes
Virgin Island viewers were left floored following Tuesday's episode, as one of the show's contestants finally went all the way in a 'marathon session.' In dramatic scenes, accountant Dave, 24, could be heard moaning and groaning as he finally lost his virginity with surrogate partner Kat. The Channel 4 show saw 12 virgins, aged between 22 and 30, get expert coaching from therapists and intimacy experts in a bid to have sexual relationships. During the concluding episode of the Channel 4 series, Kat was seen guiding Dave through his first sexual experience during an intimate session in the island's zen den. After their session together, Kat explained: 'I feel good about being the person with him at that important moment.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. In dramatic scenes, accountant Dave, 24, could be heard moaning and groaning as he finally lost his virginity with surrogate partner Kat In the end, Dave was the only contestant on Virgin Island who had sex, and many viewers were quick to praise him. However, others also noted that it was still bewildering to see such an intimate moment play out on screen. He was the only one of the group who ended up having sex - but the others reached their own personal milestones. Those watching at home were delighted for Dave, but were surprised to see such an intimate moment play out on screen. Posts on X included: 'DAVE GOT IT!!! WAS ROOTING FOR THIS GUY; 'Well done Dave, you popped your cherry with some hippy dippy American paid to pleasure you, void of emotion ''see you later'', what an achievement; 'Dave briefly sounded like he was running a marathon. Congrats to him though!; 'The stud that is Dave with a marathon sex session; While some praised Dave for finally losing his virginity, others shared their surprise that such an intimate moment was played out on screen 'Just watched the last episode of #virginisland those waves crashing off the rocks had me HOWLING; 'Virgin Island isn't actually that bad but I still can't get my head around an actual sex surrogate that then ultimately has sex with the client. It baffles me.; 'Losing your virginity should be a special thing,something you remember all your life,this is just degrading these virgins and something they'll want to forget and regret in years to come…' It has now also emerged that six months after filming wrapped, Dave has a girlfriend, after gaining the self-esteem to join a dating app. He went onto say: 'I never would have been able to talk to her without this show. 'But I don't think my girlfriend will watch, for obvious reasons. She watched the first four episodes, but it's getting a bit much now. You don't want to see your partner with someone else, even if it was a year ago. 'She's openly said it's like watching a completely different person.' The therapists on the show have since defended their work to MailOnline after it drew widespread controversy online and explained that the show gives viewers a realistic idea of what intimacy is. During the show, all of the 12 virgins achieve a level of intimacy with either a surrogate or a coach during the course, but only one of the virgins actually goes all the way with a surrogate partner. Sexologist Celeste Hirschman describes the relationship between the client and surrogate as 'authentic' and shared how the dynamic can reflect what would happen in a 'real relationships', including the possibility of 'performance problems' from either the surrogate or client. Celeste continued: 'It is really an authentic relationship. So one thing that can happen in a relationship is that someone has performance problems, and so they would just communicate about it and say, oh, you know, something's not working here. Let's take a break. Let's try again.' The sexologist added: 'That authenticity is what actually prepares people to have real relationships out in the world. 'So it's not just like trying to force something and a lot of times surrogates do work with people who have pretty significant dysfunctions, and so they need to work with those kinds of things, both in their clients and if it comes up in themselves as well.' There's a 'triadic relationship' between the client, surrogate and a separate therapist to help tackle issues, including if the client develops feelings.
