Melanie Sykes, a presenter, has admitted that she hasn’t had sex in a year after breaking with her toyboy lover Riccardo Simionato, 25, last year.
The former model, 52, spoke on The Shift, a podcast for women over 40, about having a string of toyboy boyfriends and how, after a period of abstinence, her libido remains ‘strong’.
‘I’ve been labeled as a predator for young men,’ she explained to The Shift, a podcast for women over 40.
‘I don’t have an age; I’m just vivacious. And I meet spirited people with whom I want to whirl for a while while it feels good.
‘If that doesn’t work, I’ll twirl around with someone else.
Mel ended her romance with gondolier Riccardo Simionato, who was 22 when she was 50, last year.
She previously married Jack Cockings, who was 16 years her junior, and dated German golf pro Martin Kaymer, who was 14 years her junior.
‘It got to the point where I had a few lovers on the bounce who were 27 years old,’ she explained. ‘What’s the big deal? I enjoy the enthusiasm of a certain age group.
‘It’s unusual to meet a man my age with my level of enthusiasm. And I don’t mean for long sex sessions, but for everyday life.’
The TV star, who has two children with her first husband, actor Daniel Caltagirone, said she gained more’respect’ for herself after going celibate.
‘I’ve always had a strong libido,’ she explained. ‘I would do it if I wanted to have sex with someone. But it wasn’t always good for me, and they weren’t always lovely people.
‘But if you’re driven by your libido, which guys are infamous for but women aren’t – which I think is bull**** because I think a lot of women simply want to be f***** occasionally and there’s nothing wrong with that – but I also realized that I wanted a connection.
‘It’s like putting a Band-Aid on a wound. If you can settle an argument with a really good sex session, that doesn’t mean the problem is solved.
‘And I reasoned that if I stop having sex, the problems will go away.
‘As a result, I’ve merely avoided. And after a year, I was so much more aware of myself and respected myself.
‘I’ll never lie with somebody who isn’t my equal again. Because I dislike casual sex, it’s as simple as that. I tried it and didn’t care for it.
‘But that doesn’t stop me from wanting to have sex because that’s simply me being a full-fledged woman who enjoys it. What’s the problem? Nothing is wrong with it.’
She also justified Leonardo DiCaprio’s stated tendency for dating women under the age of 25, calling it “normal.”
‘He has a personality. ‘He enjoys them when they’re that age,’ she continued.
