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‘Breaking
up is NOT hard to do’
THEY say every cloud has a silver lining and break ups are no
exception. Research out this week reveals that 2/3rds of the
population have noticed real benefits to their lifestyle after
coming out of a long term relationship. Forget sad and sorry,
‘Bridget Jones’ style singledom. 70% of Brits believe that
going solo presented them with the freedom to seize exciting new
opportunities in their home and personal lives, often leading to
professional advancement and overall increased wellbeing.
The study, commissioned by Goodfella’s Solos – the pizza for 1 –
discovered several advantages of becoming single, with 79% of those
questioned identifying more “me time” as the biggest plus
after parting ways with a partner. 52% of respondents enjoyed having
extra time to spend with friends and family while 27% took advantage
of their new found freedom to pursue interests their partner might
not have shared with them.
In many cases, a break up gave individuals the impetus to switch
careers or go for a promotion (41%), while 18% were spurred on to
lose weight or have an image overhaul. And, far from wallowing in
misery, 39% of people revealed that the end of a long term
relationship left them happier with life in general.
This trend is evident in the celebrity world where success and
status can be hugely influenced by who you are or aren’t dating.
Respondents were asked which celebrities were better off without
their other halves. Nicole Kidman was voted the celebrity to have
most benefited from a break up, with her biggest box office
successes coming after she kissed goodbye to Tom Cruise.
Other stars who were voted better off alone include Welsh beauty
Catherine Zeta Jones, post John Leslie, and all American
girl-next-door, Jennifer Aniston, post Brad Pitt.
Britney Spears on the other hand, has gone from pop princess to
dowdy mum, losing both her figure and her fashion sense since
hooking up with Kevin Federline. 67% of those surveyed believe she
should have stayed single, closely followed by Kate Moss, thanks to
her controversial relationship with Pete Doherty (21%)
Better Off Alone:-
1. Nicole Kidman (post Tom Cruise)
2. Jennifer Aniston (post Brad Pitt)
3. Amanda Holden (post Les Dennis)
4. Patsy Kensit (post Liam Gallagher)
5. Catherine Zeta Jones (post John Leslie)
6. Abby Titmuss (post John Leslie)
7. Jordan (post Dwight York)
8. Kerry Katona (post Brian McFadden)
9. Charlotte Church (post Kyle Johnson)
10. Alex Best (post George Best)
Terrible Together:-
1. Britney Spears (with Kevin Federline)
2. Brad Pitt (with Angelina Jolie)
3. Katie Holmes (with Tom Cruise)
4. Kate Moss (with Pete Doherty)
5. Brian McFadden (with Delta Goodrum)
6. Jude Law (with Sienna Miller)
7. Kelly Brook (with Billy Zane)
8. Lee Sharpe (with Abby Titmuss)
9. Ulrika Johnson (with Stan Collymore)
10. Leslie Ash (with Lee Chapman) |
Busy
young Britons find themselves in bother
SPLUTTERING, toothless, bad hairdos... a new category of
impatient Brits, hailed as the 'won't wait, won't do'
generation, are shunning important activities such as doctor's
appointments, haircuts and even matrimony in a
bid to save time. A study by leading online car insurer,
easyMoney.com, found that 42% of young Britons (aged 18 to 29) would
forego a trip to the doctor's simply because they can't bear waiting
for an appointment, and this impatience is resulting in genuine
health problems with 16% becoming more unwell as a result.
These same Britons could all be sporting dentures by the age of 30,
already, 30% of those aged 18 to 29 risk decaying teeth because they
don't have time to get to the dentist.
It isn't just health that is at risk, Britons are also allowing
their appearance to suffer. 38% endure a bad barnet
rather than wait for an appointment at the salon, no wonder the
70's look has come back! The 'won't wait, won't do' mentality
is even impacting on our social conscience with 16% freely admitting
they don't give blood because the process takes too long. Meanwhile,
impatience is yet another factor contributing to the fall in
marriages - 5% plan to stay unhitched simply because the process is
so lengthy. The study found that 29% of this new generation
deem queuing an absolute waste of time, while 5% completely refuse
to do it.
easyMoney.com spokesman, Stelios Haji-Ioannou, said:- "With a
generation so accustomed to the speed of the internet, offline
services such as doctors, dentists and hairdressers seem rather
sluggish in comparison. Now, thanks to the net, the younger
generation can do their weekly shop, buy car insurance, even check
their health with the greatest of ease. If only it were possible to
do a root canal or get a haircut on the internet too, perhaps we'd
all look better and be well insured!"
The 'won't wait, won't do' attitude is also having an effect
on this generation's personal finances: these won't-waiters are so
opposed to queuing at the bank that there's almost 400 million
pounds of un-cashed
cheques sitting in wallets and handbags across the country.
Surprisingly, they are even willing to sacrifice social outings to
save time:- 48% would walk straight past a bar or night club if the
queue was too long while 14% simply refuse to wait in line for the
cinema. 18% would actually abandon a full shopping trolley at the
first sign of a lengthy supermarket queue.
Stelios comments:- "The internet saves us over an hour each
day, which works out as more than a fortnight each year. Being so
spoilt for speed, we have lost our trademark British patience - the
image of the queuing Englishman has truly been consigned to the
past."
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