What could possibly be more romantic than Paris? The city itself is like a Hallmark card: twinkling lights over the Seine; tiny, cute coffees in pavement cafes; hand-holding along the Champs-Élysées; artists thronging through Montmartre. Yet if Paris (ergo France, to extrapolate: bear with me) is the epicentre of love, why is it that more and more couples who both live – and holiday – there are choosing to sleep apart?
Because that’s what is happening, and it’s causing no small degree of bemusement. Researchers discovered a little while ago that 10 per cent of French couples who live together now sleep in different rooms and a further 6 per cent would like to – but are scared of the consequences. The Ifop study found that more than 20 per cent of couples aged 65 and over sleep in separate rooms; but it’s not just older people. Reports suggest young people are increasingly choosing to sleep in separate beds, too.
