MEET KIMBERLEY, 34

A bubbly, sharp and high-flying lawyer, Kimberley has no shortage of admirers, but a penchant for chasing after bright, shiny things, instead of genuine matches. Dates who earn less than her have found it an issue, but generally she doesn’t tend to spark with her
corporate counterparts.

THE CONSULTATION

Thursday, 8pm, The City

It’s hard not to warm to Kimberley. Full of quips when it comes to her single status, she immediately offers to connect me with her mother to straighten out what her usual type is!
Kimberley, herself, informs me that she tends to go for men who are easy on the eye, several years younger and excellent fun, but not all that committed.

Her past dates have loved the convenient set up of a woman who pays her way (and sometimes theirs), who is fun and can just as easily slot into a cocktail bar as a rugby scrum. More often than not, however, they’ve kept her in their scruffy spheres hanging out as mates rather than organising official dates.

Self-critical to a fault, Kimberley’s humour masks a desire to be taken more seriously but she’s used to not asking enough from men in emotional terms, while expecting too much in the physical sense.

In her own words, the sorts of men she went for in her 20s (young, fun and irresponsible) are no longer compatible with where she is in her life today.

THE MATCH

Patrick, 32, is a strength and conditioning coach, fitness obsessive and all round delightful guy whose friends describe him as ‘loyal and funny’. He has the easiest blush reflex in the world, which adds to the impression that butter wouldn’t melt. He’s looking for ‘a clever outgoing girl who’s got good chat’. And his soft spot is blondes. Unlike Kimberley’s previous dates, he’s age-appropriate and has a drive to match hers, albeit outside of the corporate arena.

THE DATE

8pm-late, Quaglino’s, Mayfair

‘The date got off to a strange start when we were seated at different tables! Cue much laughter about blind dates – it was actually a great way to break the ice.

‘Patrick was very friendly and quickly put me at ease (he did express some concern about scoring a 2/10 and being ridiculed at work, so he was certainly putting the work in for a higher rating!). I’m used to carrying the conversation, so it was really nice not to have to do that.

‘Like me, he’s obviously very passionate about his career, having worked extremely hard to get where he is, so we seemed to be on the same page regarding what an effort it can be to fit dating in. The conversation and wine flowed easily and we discussed everything from fitness and macros (and how one can make wine and cocktails fit into that), politics, exes…

It was quite a surprise to realise we’d made it to midnight without any awkward silences!’

THE VERDICT

Kimberley says:
It was really fun and nice to go out with someone who has a lot in common with me in terms of outlook, stage of life and interests. He said he wanted to see me again, so…
8/10

Patrick says:
Kim is a good laugh, intelligent and easy on the eye. I thought the date was fun. We had loads to talk about and there was plenty of banter (hopefully she was laughing with me and not at me!).
8/10

THE DATING EXPERT

Nana Wereko-Brobby runs dating events club Social Concierge (socialconcierge.co.uk), for people who prefer to date offline…

Nana says… I didn’t want to ignore the physical tick boxes but I was looking for a guy who was in the right place to meet someone properly and who was also looking for someone to challenge him. I’d love to get them on a second date doing something active. This one could build, I feel.

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