Welcome to Cosmopolitan UK’s Dating Diaries, where we pull back the curtain on the reality of romance. Sex educators, influencers, and celebs invite us into their love lives to witness lust, love, sex, hook-ups, and dating disasters. A lot can happen in a week! This time, Married At First Sight star Laura Vaughan redownloads her dating apps and schedules two dates in a week. Let’s just say, things don’t quite go to plan...
Monday
My friends recently sat me down and said, ‘Unless your future boyfriend is an Amazon or Uber driver, you’re not going to find him because you’re not leaving your house.’ Ouch. So I bit the bullet and re-downloaded the apps. And, guess what? I have got two dates lined up this week. This is what I’m like – an all-or-nothing girl.
Before I went on Married At First Sight, I remember thinking that if things didn’t work out on the show, I’d snare a lovely guy at the end of it anyway because I’d have been showcased to the nation. I thought my DMs would be so busy, but it’s been the opposite. What I’m actually finding is that people message me on Instagram to say they’ve seen someone impersonating me on Hinge. My third husband may have swiped past me because he didn’t think I was a legit profile!
When I have been on dates, they’ve been quite jarring because people have a perception of who I am from watching a very particular part of my life on screen for 12 weeks. I’m going on dates and they already know so much about me... including that I’ve had two failed marriages. But tomorrow’s date, Oliver*, hasn’t watched the show, so I’m going in on a level playing field.
Tuesday
We’re meeting at a restaurant in Notting Hill tonight, so I spend the day planning my outfit. I decide to wear my ‘Laura uniform’— a nice top, tailored wide-fit trousers, an oversized blazer and a cross-body bag. Very cool, city-girl chic. In my twenties, I was a minidress and heels kind of girl, but now I like to be comfortable because then I’m more relaxed. We’re meeting for dinner. I used to be really anti-meals on a first date because I thought it would interrupt our flow, but sitting down and eating tasty food can actually form the basis of a good conversation. It also stops you from getting really drunk, which is a major bonus!
I’m feeling nervous but excited on my way to the date. Oliver is my type on paper. His bio and prompt answers were funny, he works in the city, which I used to do, and he has really good text chat. Oh, and he’s tall — 6ft 4in — dark, and handsome. Brilliant.
Everyone's clicking on...
When I arrive, he doesn’t disappoint. He asks lots of questions about me and he’s really interested in my previous career in finance. He seems to have good emotional maturity, too — he’s been single for a healthy amount of time and is being very open about what he’s looking for. Green flags all round. We end the date with a kiss. It’s quite passionate, but I’m feeling awkward in public, so I end up giggling and pushing him away. Then he suggests another date... on Thursday. Oh no. A date clash. I tell him I’m going out with the girls, but I’d like to see him again.
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Thursday
I organised tonight’s date with Miles* in the same restaurant, because I thought it would be a safe bet. Oliver won’t be in the area twice in one week, right? Wrong. We’ve been texting quite a bit and it turns out he loved Notting Hill so much that he’s taking the boys out there tonight. Fuck! I make up a lie and say the girls and I are in the area tonight, too — just in case he sees me and Miles through a window or something.
When I get to the restaurant, I’m already panicking, but then they give us an outside table. This is horrendous! My upper lip is sweating. We haven’t eaten and Miles is getting really drunk. He’s seen MAFS and keeps asking me about the show, which is so boring. Every time he goes to the toilet, I text Oliver to ask him about his night. I’m getting my Sherlock hat on to see if I might have to strategically make a run for it.
When I finally pluck up the courage to tell Miles I’m leaving at half 10, he gets up from his seat to sit next to me and says, ‘Laura, we’re staying. I’ve just ordered another bottle, and we’re going to drink it and have a couple more hours of a nice night.’ This isn’t the sexy power play he thinks it is. Then just as he’s hanging off me saying, ‘Are you going to make me beg?’, Oliver walks past. Fuck, fuck, fuck! He clocks me and my phone buzzes. He’s texted, ‘Really?’
Friday
I’m feeling kinda bad this morning. Oliver and I have arranged to meet tomorrow to chat. He texted last night to say that if we weren’t exclusive, I should have just said. But no matter how well you’re getting on, do you ever want to go into a first date being like, ‘By the way, I have got a date the day after tomorrow?’
Saturday
Oliver and I meet for a walk in the park and he says I’ve ‘betrayed’ him. He’s being jealous and giving victim energy. He also lets slip that he has watched MAFS, so he knew everything about me already. Talk about dishonesty! I cut our walk short and go to meet my friend in Knightsbridge to debrief.
Over a bottle of wine, my friend and I laugh about my chaotic week of dating. We talk about how dating in your mid-30s is challenging, but when three million people have watched you get married to a stranger, it’s even harder. MAFS definitely taught me a lot about dating, though. Before the show, I was guilty of thinking that I needed to date a certain type of person, but the experience opened my eyes and encouraged me to date people who I might not initially fancy. As this week proves, it won’t always work out, but I may at least get a good story out of it. Oh, and it definitely taught me to take my dates to different restaurants in the future...
*Names have been changed
