Their love-life logistics may be tricky, but David and Anook have both been transformed by the intimacy they share

I’d had orgasms with previous partners, but I’d never tried to give myself one – I felt too ashamed

When I met David three years ago, my marriage was breaking down and I’d just had a baby. It was a very low moment. My husband was a shut-down, cold man. Part of what finally motivated me to leave was he seemed incapable of caring for me, or even really talking to me after our daughter was born.

What first struck me about David was his warmth. He is a father and had also been through a difficult separation, so could understand what I was experiencing. David is very funny and free-spirited. What I love most about him is his spontaneity. His brain is wired in a completely different way to mine. I can be quite rigid, but he encourages me to loosen up. He makes me feel interesting, which I’d never felt in my marriage.

I was unhappy in my body after having a child – but David really built my confidence up. I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I didn’t even really know much about my own anatomy before I met him. I’d had orgasms with previous partners, but I’d never tried to give myself one – I’d always felt too ashamed. In my previous relationships, after the initial excitement had worn off, I would stop being able to climax, but felt too shy to ever tell any of my partners. I convinced myself that sex didn’t really matter in a relationship – and that I could do without it.