Oz Dating

The Aussie singer Peter Andre is splitting with wife Jordan. There are rumours that the breakup is all a sham; a way of getting more publicity.

While I doubt that it consciously is a publicity stunt, I can't help thinking that they are getting some ego gratification out of the media covering their melodramatic spats. They've both lived their lives in a fishbowl for ages, and have probably forgotten what normal life is like!

If and when they do make the break completely and subsequently recede a little from the public eye, they might not like the feeling. Which is why I think they might just get back together again, a development the supermarket tabloids would love.

The wife of Australian movie star Mel Gibson has filed for divorce. This is surprising, since they've been together for ages. It certainly seemed to be one of the most stable showbiz marriages of all.

Still, it seems that she finally found his wild, drunken behaviour just too much to bear.

We are all familiar with the notion that men want more sex than women generally, and that marriage tends to kill the sex drive, particularly in women. Of course, men's frustration at not getting enough sex in marriage has long been used by humorists for comic effect.

Many people would argue that the situation is not that simple; that women are just as lusty as men, even in marriage. But according to Australian sex therapist Bettina Arndt, it seems the stereotypes are very accurate. She has done a lot of research on this topic, and included her often depressing findings in a new book.

Many people are shocked that someone as beautiful, talented and successful as Rihanna could be in such an abusive relationship. But she's certainly not the first famous woman to be assaulted by her partner.

Comedians aren't renowned for being great at relationships. Apart from being quite neurotic generally, the typical comic is prone to mining his love life for material, sometimes making fun of his partner. If that person is happy to take a back seat and very tolerant and forgiving, then this may not be such a problem.

But the odds of the relationship surviving go down substantially if the one being mocked is well known. They're even further reduced if he is an insecure comic as well.

Take John Cleese's relationship with American comedienne Barbie Orr. He soon tired of being mocked in her routines and promptly gave her the flick. 

Australian singer and actress Olivia Newton John and her boyfriend Patrick McDermott made a very pretty pair for nine years. Then, a few years ago, he disappeared suddenly, presumed drowned.

Now, private investigators are claiming that he's not dead at all; that he faked his own death and is in hiding on a boat off the Mexico coast.

if this is true then it's a terrible betrayal of Newton John, and I really pity her. It must have been very painful for her to learn that he had drowned. Now, if he turns up alive, she'll have to deal with the fact that he's been deceiving her all this time. She'll have her heart broken all over again!

Relationships are funny things. The participants have such different interpretations of what's going on.

A man and woman can spend the night together regularly and one of them (usually the man) can think it was just a sexual thing - a "friendship with benefits" - while the other thinks it's true love.

The case of Ian Thorpe and Amanda Beard is a case in point. Fighting off persistent rumours that he is gay, the Australian swimmer's agents have pointed to an interview in which he cited a heterosexual romance with American swimmer Beard. She says that no such relationship occurred; that they were merely friends. 

This is bad news for Thorpe and I can't help feeling sorry for him. I couldn't care less about his sexuality. And I think most other Aussies feel the same way.

Roberta Williams's ex-husband Carl Williams is one of Australia's most notorious criminals. The Melbourne drug lord murdered several people and is now in jail for life.

Roberta herself is free, and has vowed to stay on the straight and narrow. And she's just become romantically involved with another bloke. But it turns out that he too has a dark, criminal past. Seems she just can't stay away from that kind of man.

It's fascinating how the economy influences people's behaviour on so many different levels including their relationships. And then there's a subsequent effect back on the economy, since businesses will spring up to cater to the needs of individuals whose lives have been affected!

Take the recent resources boom in Australia. Since so many men from cities such as Perth spend long periods away in the mines they find it hard to maintain relationships. Consequently they need to meet single women who are happy with the periods of separation that such a lifestyle creates. A dating service called Meet a Mining Man has been created to bring these two new demographic groups together.

The online dating industry contains many niches. One of the more controversial ones caters to people who are looking for affairs only.

Understandably, many people are appalled by the very thought of such sites. But the owner of Ashley Madison - which is one of the most successful websites of this kind - doesn't accept the argument that he's engaged in an immoral enterprise. On the contrary, he believes that his matchmaking service preserves more marriages than it ends.