Ulrika says men in their 50s are 'dull': Bit harsh? Or is she right?
Watch: Ulrika Jonsson has joined Tinder
Ulrika Jonsson has set the elderly cat amongst the middle-aged pigeons. Appearing on TV show Celebs Go Dating, the TV personality, 54, said she's looking for younger men to date.
She explained, "I guess I’ve been slightly cautious of dating men my age because, from my experience, they seem to come across as pretty f***ing dull. I don’t want dull anymore, I want to have fun."
The star has been single since her divorce from husband number three in 2019, and although she confessed that one dating app matched her with an 18 year old, she decided that was going too far.
"I dismissed him because I felt that my oldest son being 27 should somehow shape my lower age limit," she said. But is Ulrika right- are fifty-something men dull?
Here, Yahoo Life UK takes a lighthearted look at some stereotypes of men in their 50s.
1 He's grumpy
Fifty-something men are seldom known for their sunny disposition. Bits of them ache. They have to make a noise like a piston slowing to a halt when they stand up. They find basic queries irritating, and are convinced that they know the fastest way to everywhere in the British isles without recourse to sat-nav.
They find their wives' friends annoying (so much talking!) and their junior colleagues unbearable (no common sense!) As for the teenagers they seem to be parenting... pea-brained idiots, the lot of them.
No wonder he's grumpy - everyone but him is pretty much a moron.
2 He's sleepy
Ten o' clock? Time for bed. That man who used to rave till 6am, who laughed at old fogeys with their tragic routines and pathetic limitations, is now heading to bed at the time he used to head into the night. Adventure is trying a new garden centre at the weekend, and 'pulling an all-nighter' means non-stop snoring.
And boy, will he snore. The average 50 something man could convince a lost goose that his entire flock is nearby and yelling for him.
3 He's stopped self-caring
Read more: Signs To Look For If You Think You're Having a Midlife Crisis
While fifty-something women are all over self-care, from brows to glycolic peels to ashy highlights designed to softly blend the grey, the average 50 something bloke is absolutely fine with letting the years show.
He hasn't noticed his growing middle, that now resembles a python swallowing a bowling ball. He's fine with the gradual balding, slowly revealing his scalp like snows melting in spring.
And does he worry about his skin tone? A lot less than he worries about the cricket scores. In a way this devil-may-care approach to appearance is charming, suggesting he has deeper things on his mind. In another... nobody wants to cuddle Mr Burns.
4 He's only interested in one thing
...No, not that one. Middle aged men tend to develop passions. As the testosterone wanes, the need to have a hobby increases, which is why many men end up annexing the spare room for their model trains, or squash kit, or racing bike, or easel... it's almost always a hobby that requires a lot of space and a great deal of time.
If he has a shed, he'll do it there. If he doesn't, he will scatter his specialist magazines ('This month: Recreating the Bridges of Northumberland') throughout the house, and refuse to let anybody move them.
5 He doesn't have friends
Read more: Third of middle-aged adults have multiple health conditions, study suggests
Younger men have lots of friends. Schoolfriends, University friends, five a side friends, pub friends... but because many men are exceptionally poor at keeping in touch, and let their wives do it, very often, their personal friendships drop away to be replaced by couple friendships - all of which are administered and maintained by their wives.
Which means that at weekends, he's rattling around, bored and in need of attention from the partner who does still have friends she'd like to see with being guilt-tripped.
He may have people he drinks with, or sees at work - but pressed on personal details, he'll say "I've no idea if he's married... what he does for a living? Never asked."
That's not friends, it's strangers in the same place.
6 His dress sense
He's only had five decades to figure out what suits him, and he's come up with 'some trousers and .. a shirt?'
Many fifty-something men are so used to their partner simply providing clothes like the M&S Fairy, it never occurs to them to wonder what they like. They're fine with their slacks and lambswool jumpers, until suddenly they find themselves single again, and have no idea how to dress or where to buy garments.
That's why midlife divorcees often dress like 1980s teens - the last time they were responsible for their own wardrobes.
Then again, if he's too well dressed, it may suggest he's not as single as he's claiming to be - so there's something to be said for comfortable slacks after all.
Maybe there are some real gems in the over 50s club.
Watch: Turns out, humans aren't the only ones who experience midlife crisis
