Mistletoe moments

A DECEMBER DATE

JULIA MOWBRAY, 45, lives in Newcastle with son Max, 10, while Matthew Williams, 45, is dad to Gracie, 11, and son Gabe, eight. They met last Christmas through online dating.

Last Christmas was the loneliest of my life. Following my divorce, I had spent a year on the dating scene and I was exhausted and disillusioned. I must have gone on over 100 dates during that time and had given up on the idea of ever meeting anyone with whom to have a meaningful, lasting relationship – let alone a man with whom I could plan my future.

I’d tried all the online dating sites but there was never any chemistry and some of the dates were disastrous: there was the date who took me out to dinner and spent the whole night weeping about his ex. There was another who told me in no uncertain terms he didn’t find me ‘aesthetically pleasing’.

But the saddest date of all came on