The Telegraph

The Telegraph

A female TV presenter is single man’s ideal date

An analysis of 23,000 “matches” by two dating agencies says men believe that female journalists have the perfect potential because they are “quick thinking and intelligent” and care about the human condition.

Anna Botting: Job on Sky News is bad for her love life.

Single professional men looking for love believe that a female television news presenter would be their perfect partner, according to research released today.

An analysis of 23,000 “matches” by two dating agencies says men believe that female journalists have the perfect potential because they are “quick thinking and intelligent” and care about the human condition.

However, it’s not just a meeting of minds they are after. The lovelorn male is attracted to that rare breed of glamorous women who hold down high-profile news anchor jobs in television – in short, women whose IQ is at least as high as their heels.

“Women have carved out new territory as anchors in prime-time news programmes, projecting charisma, brains and femininity,” says the research.

“Although earning power may be important when choosing a mate, job satisfaction, authority, intelligence and concern with the human condition all rate highly with men and women when it comes to sex appeal among successful professionals.”

The fact that female news presenters such as Natasha Kaplinsky say they get up at 3.15am for work at 6am, and go to sleep at 9pm, does not appear to have struck men as a major drawback.

A male surgeon fits the bill for single women

Single women serious about forming a relationship are looking for surgeons whose life-saving skills and authority are matched by their earning power. The dating and careers survey has been conducted by Mary Balfour, the managing director of Drawing Down the Moon, one of the country’s oldest personal-introduction agencies with 1,500 vetted members, and Only Lunch, which has about 750 members.

Neither London-based agency is for the financially faint-hearted. Only Lunch costs £1,350 while Drawing Down the Moon’s charges range from £950 to £7,000 for a personal one-to-one matchmaker who does an international search.

Agencies are used by 500,000 Britons to seek their perfect partner.

Men regard female television directors – their second favourite choice after female journalists – as adventurous and creative. In third place are women working in human resources, who are seen as good at dealing with people and relationships.

Female architects and designers “combine creativity with a practical approach to life”, property developers are “risk takers with a high earning capacity” while academics “exhibit intellectual acumen in a caring context”.

Bankers are “high powered”, those in advertising have the “perfect combination of creativity and sex”, while female doctors have a “caring, instant bedside appeal” and script writers offer an “independent charm”.

Teachers, accountants, social workers and the police are noticeably absent from both lists.

Women say male surgeons are not only caring but also exude a calm and logical approach which makes ideal husband material. Barristers are “charming, intelligent and cool in a crisis” while company directors are successful, responsible high-flyers.

Male journalists are quick thinkers, while IT professionals sometimes have “amazing lifestyles”. Consultants tend to be bright, high-achieving and personable, while architects are artistic pragmatists who pay attention to detail.

Mrs Balfour, who has also written a book, Smart Dating: How to Find your Man, said: “In the old days, you went into relationships for economic survival. Nowadays, middle-class professional people are looking for an intellectual connection as well as an emotional one. If the intellectual balance is skewed, so is the emotional balance”.

“But women TV directors aged 39-and-three-quarters darken my doorways on many occasions because they have ‘forgotten’ to have children. They have got set in their ways. People should strive for more of a work-leisure balance.”

Anna Botting, 37, who went to Oxford University and is now one of Sky TV’s most respected and popular presenters, was sent an engagement ring through the post by an admirer “plus the bill for £550, to show me how much he had paid for it”.

She is now dating a fellow Sky journalist.

Article in The Telegraph

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