‘Little gestures make love thrive’
There’s a lot of anxiety at the moment, as COVID-19 infections begin to rise again and parts of the UK head back into lockdown. We have already seen from the last lockdown that the pandemic can put a lot of stress on relationships. In the spring, it was found that one in eight Britons who isolated with a partner realised they had doubts about their romance .
The lockdown created a real make-or-break situation for couples – some decided it was the right time to try for babies, while others decided to go their separate ways. For me, it made me realise how lucky I was to be in such a secure relationship with my fiancée, [Fred has never revealed his fiancée’s real name, but affectionately refers to her as “Fruitcake” on social media] who I proposed to in March, just two weeks before isolation kicked in.
We took the time to look after
one another and I realised it was little gestures that are probably the most important, even if it was just giving her a spontaneous kiss. I believe that, in order to thrive in a relationship, you need to make simple gestures, demonstrate your love and show how much you care about your partner. My love language is, unsurprisingly, cooking! I look after my fiancée by putting my heart and soul into cooking some delicious dishes for her. While I didn’t have any relationship struggles during lockdown, I found it hard being unable to see my parents, who live in my native France. I thank God for technology, because it allows us to be together in some sense. I call them every single day and we even cook together over Zoom, which is great fun. I feel that, in these difficult times, we have to take pleasure from the small things like this to keep us happy.
● Fred is M&S’ new Wine Ambassador. Check out his top picks at Marksandspencer.com