And the ones to step away from…

✗ THE MAN-EATER

You can’t go out to dinner without her making a play for the waiter. When the gang gets together she hones in like a hornet on the man in the group. You veer between feeling sorry for her (why does she crave male attention so badly?) and deciding that, actually, you’d rather hang out with friends who love women as much as – if not more than – they love men.

✗ THE CRITIC

“Oh, you’ve gone for a different hairstyle,” she says, giving you an alarmed stare. Or, “I suppose, if that’s the way you like to be with your kids, then that’s perfectly fine!” Meaning: “But I don’t think it’s fine, as I sit here observing you from the moral high ground.” A critical “friend” is rarely direct with her comments; we’re talking sly put-downs and confidence-sapping asides. For the sake of your sanity, step away.

✗ THE USER

She’s the kind of friend you make excuses for: “Oh, she’s only asked me to look after her children/ dog/pick up a birthday present for her mother-in-law because she’s a bit all over the place.” But she’s forever asking favours, borrowing your stuff and making endless demands on your energy and time. Do you really want to be treated as a free and ever-available resource?

✗ THE DRAIN

An evening with this friend is the opposite of a bundle of laughs. She’s not out for fun or to catch up, but to offload her problems and grind you into the ground with her moaning. And guess what? She hasn’t once asked, “So, how are you?”

✗ THE EMBARRASSING ONE

You find yourself adopting the brace position when you’re about to meet up. She starts off fine, but fuelled by too much booze, she’s bellowing inappropriate remarks and saying, “I love you!” while trying to hug you repeatedly.

Your tolerance is about to run out. Shame the Prosecco didn’t.

✗ THE JEALOUS ONE

She never admits that she wants what you have. Instead, she drip-feeds remarks designed to undermine all you’ve achieved. She leaves you feeling upset without quite knowing why. True friends are your cheerleaders – she doesn’t deserve a place in your heart.

✗ THE BAD INFLUENCE

This wild card wants a partner in crime. She has a knack for creating drama wherever she goes. When she says, “Don’t be boring!” what she means is, “I want you to behave like me to validate my choices.” Reserve the right to say no.

“Friendships that hold up for life are very special. You are truly compatible and can absolutely be yourself”