A 47-year-old man has admitted he’s still a virgin because he is ‘petrified’ of being intimate with anyone.
Andrew Brookman says he’s always been ‘timid’ and was a victim of bullying at school. After his parents divorced when he was 10, it fuelled his fear of being social, getting into a relationship or being intimate, he claims.
Andrew didn’t want to experience arguments and had a ‘fear of life’ so would ‘rather be on my own’.
He says his fears also came from suppressing his sexuality and the homophobia he saw while he was growing up.
Now, he is starting to open up about his sexuality and is no longer ashamed of being a 47-year-old virgin.
He feels he can relate to those on Channel 4‘s new show, Virgin Island – a unique course in intimacy to help them overcome the fears that are holding them back.
Andrew is still a virgin at the age of 47 (SWNS)
Andrew, a cleaner, from Pontypridd, Wales, UK, said: “I’ve never been in a relationship. Watching other people get divorced and seeing arguments gave me a fear of being social and intimate.
“I didn’t want to go through all that. I’d rather be on my own.”
He continued to share: “You feel a sense of shame [being a virgin]. Having no confidence, no self-esteem and no self-worth and being repressed of sex drove me to seek therapy because I was petrified of getting intimate with anybody.
“I am not ashamed of being a virgin at 47.”
The Welshman said he is ‘petrified’ of being intimate with someone (SWNS)
At 16 years old, Andrew realized he was gay but he was fearful of opening up about his sexuality due to homophobia in society at the time.
He said: “The fear grew. I went into the closet.”
In his late 20s, Andrew went to therapy and was put on antidepressants, however, he still struggled to get passed his fear.
The Welshman also tackled a porn addiction in his 30s when he got his own place, which saw him watch gay porn every night for up to two hours at a time as it was his ‘only outlet’.
Andrew admitted that at one stage of his life he found porn to be his ‘only outlet’ (SWNS)
Speaking about his addiction, Andrew explained: “It was my only outlet. It was my only way of feeling sex and seeing sex.
“I wanted to be doing it as well. I was jealous of them [the porn stars]. I was enraged that I couldn’t even have sex in private.”
Now, he is starting to let his guard down and open up more by writing a book, titled Colours of a Rare Bird.
He says writing down exactly how he feels has been able to help him overcome shame and he has volunteered for the first time ever at his local pride.
You can find out more about Andrew’s book here.
Featured Image Credit: SWNS
Topics: Mental Health, Wales, UK News, Sex and Relationships, LGBTQ, Life
Niamh Shackleton
Man files lawsuit against new wife after discovering she’s ‘not a virgin’
A bride in Tajikistan has been dragged before a court and accused of ‘not being a virgin’
A man has reportedly taken his new bride to court in a legal battle over her virginity.
A 30-year-old man from Tajikistan, a country that borders Afghanistan and China, has launched plans to sue his wife for around $5,000, just weeks after the couple tied the knot on the outskirts of the capital Dushanbe, reports RFE/FL.
Suhrob, a construction worker, claims the 22-year-old woman was not a virgin on the night they married and sought financial reimbursement for the wedding and dowry.
However, the bridge and her family denied the allegation and filed to countersue the man for defamation.
The bride was awarded around $1,140 in costs towards moral damages, according to court documents obtained by the news outlet from the Rudaki district court.
The man tried to sue his new bride (Getty Images)
Suhrob has since lodged an appeal against the verdict, commenting: “I didn’t work in the freezing cold in Russia to save money to marry someone who isn’t a virgin.
“I told her that I would have married someone else had I known this situation,” he added.
Sex before marriage is considered improper in the largely Muslim and conservative central Asian country.
Women accused of premarital sex face a lifetime of ‘shame’, particularly in Tajikistan where gender inequality is rife.
It is one of around 20 countries that still performs so-called virginity tests, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has long slammed as ‘medically unnecessary’.
The sham test sees women and girls subjected to or even forced into an examination, which involves an invasive inspection of their genitalia to determine whether or not they have had sexual intercourse.
In Tajikistan, it is an optional part of a mandatory medical assessment all brides and grooms have to take before seeking a marriage license.
The government rolled out pre-wedding health checks in 2015 to reportedly prevent HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections and diseases.
It is often carried out by doctors, police officers, or community leaders to assess women’s ‘virtue, honor or social value’.
Protestors against the practice in New Delhi in 2009 (RAVEENDRAN/AFP via Getty Images)
The ‘two-finger test’ and hymen inspection is carried out in the examination under the false belief that the appearance of women’s genitalia can indicate intimate activity.
The United Nations have also criticized the practice as ‘painful, humiliating, and traumatic’ as it joins the call to outlaw the long-standing practice.
The UN and WHO argue in its joint call to ban virginity testing a ‘violation of women’s and girls’ human rights.’
“The term ‘virginity’ is not a medical or scientific term,” they add. “Rather, the concept of ‘virginity’ is a social, cultural and religious construct – one that reflects gender discrimination against women and girls.
“The social expectation that girls and women should remain ‘virgins’ (i.e. without having sexual intercourse) is based on stereotyped notions that female sexuality should be curtailed within marriage. This notion is harmful to women and girls globally.”
The health campaigners continue: “Many women suffer from adverse short- and long-term physical, psychological and social consequences of this practice.
“This includes anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress. In extreme cases, women or girls may attempt suicide or be killed in the name of ‘honour’.”
In one such example, an 18-year-old bride, Rajabbi Khurshed, took her own life in 2017 after her husband accused her of having premarital sex.
The young woman had been subjected to several hymen examinations but the groom, Zafar Pirov, was convinced she had lied and bribed medics.
He was jailed for seven years for driving her to suicide, reports RFE/RL.
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Image
Topics: China, Health, Russia, Sex and Relationships, World News
Liv Bridge
Reason husband who took his own life a day after honeymoon sent his wife flowers from beyond grave
The grieving wife described her late husband as a ‘smart, handsome, and successful man’
A wife was left heartbroken after her husband took his own life shortly after their honeymoon.
In September of last year, Isabel and Christopher Coles, from North Carolina, US, tied the knot in anticipation of Christopher — who was in the army — being deployed a month later.
Marrying in a courthouse, they had planned to have a bigger celebration of their love this month, but sadly the second ceremony never happened as Christopher took his own life after their honeymoon.
Isabel was understandably devastated when it happened and says there were ‘no signs’ that her husband was struggling before his suicide.
After the couple flew back home from their honeymoon, Christopher spent ‘all night’ putting guest information for their bigger ceremony into their wedding website, but the following morning Isabel noticed things were ‘a little weird’.
Isabel and Christopher tied the knot last year (Kennedy News and Media)
“He went downstairs and tried to get out. I stood at the front door and asked what was going on,” she recalled. “He got out and started heading towards the woods.”
Isabel ran upstairs to get her shoes, at which point she realized her husband had taken a weapon with him. The next morning, Christopher’s body was found by his father.
Isabel was left ‘shocked’ and ‘devastated’, noting that Christopher was ‘very driven and motivated’, which left her to wonder if there were signs she may have missed.
But in the months that followed Christopher’s untimely passing, Isabel received flowers from him beyond the grave on Valentine’s Day.
She admitted that she was ‘freaked out’ when she got the delivery, but the florist explained that Christopher had put the order in in advance.
The couple had planned to have a bigger wedding ceremony in May 2025 (Kennedy News and Media)
As to why he ordered the flowers to arrive on that day, it was because he knew that he’d still be deployed for his and Isabel’s first Valentine’s Day together as a married couple.
Isabel said: “They said he ordered the flowers in September because he knew he would be deployed and travelling back around Valentine’s day.”
The mom-of-one is also planning to run the Chicago Marathon in October 2025 to support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Speaking about Christopher’s death, Isabel said: “Everyone wants a reason why. No one believes that a smart, handsome, successful man who has a great life wakes up one day and decides to end his life.
“There are people in my life that say I had something to do with it. I know it’s not true, my husband and I were very happy. No one can change that or take that away from me.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
Featured Image Credit: Kennedy News and Media
Topics: Mental Health, US News, Weddings, Life, Community, Sex and Relationships
Niamh Shackleton
Doctor reveals bizarre reason why men get the ‘summer penis’ phenomenon
If things look a bit different down there at the moment, you could be suffering from ‘summer penis’
Summer…a time to hit the beach, take a break, and check in on your local penis.
As we all know, soaring temperatures in the summer affect us all in different ways.
Some of us get crankier. Dehydration becomes a lot more of a risk. The daily threat of a sun-burn feels as urgent as ever.
And one particular way high temperatures can impact a person physically, specifically men, is by apparently making their genitalia larger.
The phenomenon, which has been coined as a ‘summer penis’ (lest we dare compare it to a winter penis), actually has some scientific reasoning behind it.
Dr. Chun Tang, a general practitioner at Pall Mall Medical, tells The Sun: “So, ‘summer penis’ is a term people use to describe when a male’s penis seems a bit bigger or fuller during hot weather.”
Changes in temperatures can affect men physically. (Getty Stock Photo)
“It’s not an official medical thing, just something people have noticed and talked about,” he importantly noted.
“The idea is that in warmer months, especially when it’s hot and humid, the heat causes your blood vessels to expand a bit, which can make things down there look a bit different,” he explained.
Dr. Tang went on to share that a summer penis is not an indication of any health issue, saying: “On its own, ‘summer penis’ isn’t a sign of anything serious.”
Hotter temperatures can make male genitalia larger. (Getty Stock Photo)
“But, if you notice any sudden or unusual changes in your penis — like significant swelling, pain, or discomfort — then it’s definitely a good idea to get it checked out by your doctor,” he added. “Those could be signs of something that does need attention, like an infection or an injury.”
So if you’ve noticed something unusual going on down there, do pause the celebration for a bit first before getting it checked out.
You really do learn something new every day.
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Photo
Topics: Sex and Relationships, Health
Yasmeen Hamadeh
Matthew Perry’s ex-girlfriend shares heartbreaking reason why she left her role as his assistant
Perry’s former assistant and ex Kayti Edwards has opened up about having to ‘walk away’ or not being ‘able to live with’ herself
Matthew Perry’s former assistant has opened up about their relationship and why she felt like she had to quit.
The beloved Friends actor passed away aged 54 after being found unresponsive at his home in Los Angeles on October 28, 2023.
Traces of ketamine were discovered in the actor’s system by a Los Angeles medical examiner, it reported Perry was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy for anxiety and depression.
The actor spoke openly about his mental health and experiences with drug addiction in his memoir Friends, Lovers and The Big Terrible Thing, revealing he’d spent over $7 million on trying to remain sober, including going to rehab a total of 15 times.
And Kayti Edwards, who dated the star in 2006 and later became his assistant in 2011, has opened up about their relationship and seeing him battle his addiction.
Kayti Edwards worked as Matthew Perry’s assistant and also dated the actor (YouTube/ InTouch Weekly)
In an exclusive interview with The Mirror US, Edwards explained despite Perry paying her ‘very well as his assistant’, there ‘came a point’ he ‘got so bad’ she felt like she had ‘no choice but to walk away from that salary’.
She continued: “But I knew that I could not watch him die. I would never, ever be able to live with myself.
“There were so many sleepless nights that I would go home and I would wake up at four in the morning texting him, ‘Are you alive? Are you alive? Just answer. Send me an emoji. Send me something that you are there.’
“I couldn’t sleep at night knowing what he was doing. And I think part of me stayed as long as I did, because if I didn’t stay, he would have been alone, and he would have just kept going.”
In January 2011, Edwards said she told Perry she couldn’t ‘do this anymore’.
Perry will always be remembered for the awareness he raised about addiction (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for GQ)
She continued: “I said, […] ‘I am sorry you [are] going to hate me, but we are getting you in rehab.'”
As Perry embarked on his sobriety journey, he spoke about his experiences openly and helped others living with addiction, even setting up a facility for sober living.
In an interview on the Q With Tom Power podcast, the actor reflected: “When I die, I don’t want Friends to be the first thing that’s mentioned. I want that [helping people with addiction] to be the first thing that’s mentioned.
“And I’m gonna live the rest of my life proving that.”
