A moment that changed me: I’d lost my libido – then I saw Richard Ashcroft on stage and it came bursting back

I was nearly 60 and hadn’t had sex in 10 years. And I was fine with that. But seeing the Verve’s former frontman reminded me how much fun it is to fancy someoneWhen the world entered lockdown in 2020, I’d just moved into a new flat where, at the age of 56, I found myself living alone for the first time in my life. I’d been separated for nearly a decade from the father of my two kids – one of whom had already flown the nest. The other was just starting at uni. So it was just me and my cat, Trinity, in what I now thought of as my “forever home” for one.I’d embraced all those nice, selfish things about being single. I’d travelled alone, I ate when I wanted, went to bed when I felt like it, did housework only to please myself – and usually only in times of dire need. I reconnected with friends in a fresh way, as an individual. It felt empowering and less cluttered, after the years of motherhood and partnerdom. Mealtimes were at my own volition (well, and Trinity’s) and were a case of “Mmm, what shall I have?” rather than, “Oh God, what shall I do for tea?” I know people in decades-long relationships who would bite their own arm off for this level of autonomy. Continue reading...