Why does your ex keep coming back?

This week’s question-asker is the one and only Ash Holme, presenter and host of the very hilarious podcast, The Jack and Ash Show, and she wants to hear all about Millie and Clare’s most niche dating icks. Clapping when the plane lands, sending ‘hehe’ in a text, holding their nose before going underwater… everyone’s got something that icks them out in a partner. But at what point do these icks stop being funny, and start becoming a dating rule? And are niche icks ever really justified? Let us know your biggest, most unreasonable icks in comments or on our socials @CosmopolitanUK. Thanks to this week’s expert, Gigi Engle, a sex and relationship psychotherapist, sex educator, and author. Hosts: Millie Court and Clare Stephenson Co-host: Amy May Ellis Executive Producer and Cosmopolitan Editor-in-Chief: Claire Hodgson Executive Producer: Will Foster Senior Producer and Cosmopolitan Sex & Relationships Editor: Brit Dawson Producer: Ruth Holroyd Video Editor: Yoana Pavlova

Fighting for your life in the dating trenches? Hard relate… With endless swiping, ghosting, and too many rules to keep track of, it’s no wonder we’re all having a rough time right now – but does it have to be this way? This week, Millie and Clare are reflecting on how we can bring the fun back into our dating lives. Whether that’s mixing up your date ideas, taking chances, or just injecting some lightheartedness into it all. Dating isn’t meant to be a chore, people! Thanks to this week’s dating and relationship expert, Persia Lawson. P.S. Those Paul Mescal running away rumours get a mention in this ep, and just FYI, he’s debunked them – you can read his response here. Hosts: Millie Court and Clare Stephenson Co-host: Amy May Ellis Executive Producer and Cosmopolitan Editor-in-Chief: Claire Hodgson Executive Producer: Will Foster Senior Producer and Cosmopolitan Sex & Relationships Editor: Brit Dawson Producer: Ruth Holroyd Video Editor: Yoana Pavlova

With just two days to go until Halloween, we thought we’d trick or treat you to a scary episode this week – and what’s scarier than your ex sliding in your DMs?! Ahead of their fave season of the year, Millie and Clare are talking ghosts, ghouls, and zombie exes, and asking: Why do exes always come back to haunt you? And is it ever a good idea to resurrect them? Whether you’ve had an ex come back to life – or been guilty of popping back up yourself – let us know your thoughts in comments, reviews, or on our socials @CosmopolitanUK. Thanks to this week’s expert, psychosexual and relationship therapist Aoife Drury. Hosts: Millie Court and Clare Stephenson Co-host: Amy May Ellis Executive Producer and Cosmopolitan Editor-in-Chief: Claire Hodgson Executive Producer: Will Foster Senior Producer and Cosmopolitan Sex & Relationships Editor: Brit Dawson Producer: Ruth Holroyd Video Editor: Megan Stapleton Assistant Producer and Cosmopolitan Features Editor: Jennifer Savin

You’ve been dating for months – you’ve met their friends, spent whole weekends together, even celebrated birthdays. But it’s still just ‘casual’... What do you do? Do you hold out in case things progress, or quit this relationship purgatory and accept that once a situationship, always a situationship? This week, Millie and Clare are debating this exact scenario, asking: Can a slow-start situationship ever become a successful relationship? And, more importantly, should it? Let us know what you think – and tell us your success (or horror) situationship stories in comments, reviews, or on our socials @CosmopolitanUK. Thanks to this week’s expert, dating and relationship coach Vicki Pavitt. Hosts: Millie Court and Clare Stephenson Co-host: Amy May Ellis Executive Producer and Cosmopolitan Editor-in-Chief: Claire Hodgson Executive Producer: Will Foster Senior Producer and Cosmopolitan Sex & Relationships Editor: Brit Dawson Producer: Ruth Holroyd Video Editor: Will Hewitt

This week’s question comes from our October digital cover star, Zara McDermott! The presenter and former Love Islander is asking about something she admits she’s been struggling with herself: as we all get older and our lives get busier, what expectations should we have of our friends? Can you realistically expect an immediate text back? Is it fair to be annoyed if they can’t make every single birthday? Or, at a time when we’re all a little too comfortable cancelling plans in the name of ‘self-care’, should we actually be expecting more of — and giving more to — our friends? Millie and Clare get into it all. Read Zara’s cover story on Cosmo here, and let us know about your friendship dynamics and dilemmas in comments, reviews, or on our socials @CosmopolitanUK. Thanks to this week’s expert, Jordan Jaziri, a psychosexual psychotherapist at Manchester Square Clinic in Marylebone. Hosts: Millie Court and Clare Stephenson Co-host: Amy May Ellis Executive Producer and Cosmopolitan Editor-in-Chief: Claire Hodgson Executive Producer: Will Foster Senior Producer and Cosmopolitan Sex & Relationships Editor: Brit Dawson Producer: Ruth Holroyd Video Editor: Megan Stapleton

Are you all for snogging your date’s face off in public, or does so much as a peck make you cringe with embarrassment? Public displays of affection have always been controversial, but now we live under the constant threat of being filmed and plastered across the world’s FYPs, PDA has become even more of a hot button topic — and, for some, something to be avoided at all costs. And yet, whether you think we should kiss with abandon or keep it behind closed doors, a little PDA never hurt anyone. But, as Millie and Clare are asking this week, how much is too much? Let us know what you think in comments, reviews, and over on socials @CosmopolitanUK! Thanks to this week’s expert, dating coach Abi Blears. Hosts: Millie Court and Clare Stephenson Co-host: Amy May Ellis Executive Producer and Cosmopolitan Editor-in-Chief: Claire Hodgson Executive Producer: Will Foster Senior Producer and Cosmopolitan Sex & Relationships Editor: Brit Dawson Producer: Ruth Holroyd Video Editor: Yoana Pavlova

What would you consider to be cheating today? The physical betrayals, sure, but what about liking other people’s thirst traps? Subscribing to an OnlyFans creator? Sexting with an AI chatbot? At a time when we can connect with more people in more ways than ever, it’s arguably never been easier to keep secrets, cheat, or even just have a little flirtation. So, if you’re finding it hard to trust in relationships and feeling confused about what even counts as cheating anymore, you’re not alone. This week, Millie and Clare are digging into the modern definition of infidelity, including a hotly discussed topic on social media: Is it cheating to watch porn? What do you think? Let us know in comments, reviews, and over on socials @CosmopolitanUK! Thanks to this week’s experts, relationship counsellor Deborah Krevalin and Anna Hint, a dating expert at PURE. Hosts: Millie Court and Clare Stephenson Co-host: Amy May Ellis Executive Producer and Cosmopolitan Editor-in-Chief: Claire Hodgson Executive Producer: Will Foster Senior Producer and Cosmopolitan Sex & Relationships Editor: Brit Dawson Producer: Ruth Holroyd Video Editor: Megan Stapleton Assistant Producer and Cosmopolitan Features Editor: Jennifer Savin

The very hilarious GK Barry is our question-asker this week — and she’s asking Millie and Clare about a conversation we all dread: the ‘what are we’ chat. Yep, we’re discussing how you go about defining a relationship, and when is the ‘right’ time to do it. No one wants to get stuck in a perpetual situationship, but how soon is too soon for the talk? How can you broach it? And how can you handle it if you don’t get the answer you want? Millie and Clare get into it all — and stick around to the end to hear GK’s thoughts. Then let us know what you think in the comments and on socials @CosmopolitanUK! Thanks to this week’s expert, dating coach ⁠Hayley Quinn⁠. GK Barry’s brilliant new book, It’s Giving Life: A Guide to Surviving and Thriving, is out now! Hosts: Millie Court and Clare Stephenson Co-host: Amy May Ellis Executive Producer and Cosmopolitan Editor-in-Chief: Claire Hodgson Executive Producer: Will Foster Senior Producer and Cosmopolitan Sex & Relationships Editor: Brit Dawson Producer: Ruth Holroyd Video Editor: Megan Stapleton

Whether we’re adapting to a post-honeymoon stage dip in our sex lives or going through a bit of a dry spell, most of us, at one point or another, have likely been hyperaware of how much sex we’re having with our partners — and even fretted over whether it’s ‘enough’. But how much sex is ‘normal’ in relationships? Is there even such a thing as a ‘normal’ amount of sex? (Spoiler: no!) Millie and Clare are getting into these questions and more, discussing why we should be focusing less on how often we’re having sex, and more on the kind of sex we’re having — and the intimacy we enjoy outside of the bedroom. Let us know what you think in comments, reviews, and over on socials @CosmopolitanUK! Thanks to this week’s expert, sex and relationship coach Lucy Rowett. Hosts: Millie Court and Clare Stephenson Co-host: Amy May Ellis Executive Producer and Cosmopolitan Editor-in-Chief: Claire Hodgson Executive Producer: Will Foster Senior Producer and Cosmopolitan Sex & Relationships Editor: Brit Dawson Producer: Ruth Holroyd Video Editor: Megan Stapleton

Be honest… have you ever sneakily gone through your partner’s phone? What did you find? How did you feel after? Did you regret it, or were you vindicated? Whatever the reason for it, loads of us have been guilty of having a cheeky little look at our partner’s phone. But, as one reader is asking Millie and Clare this week, is this kind of snooping ever really justified?  It’s a juicy topic — and Millie, Clare, and Amy have v different opinions on it. Let us know what you think in comments, reviews, and over on socials @CosmopolitanUK. Safe space, we promise! Thanks to this week’s expert, sex educator and erotic romance author Scotty Unfamous. Hosts: Millie Court and Clare Stephenson Co-host: Amy May Ellis Executive Producer and Cosmopolitan Editor-in-Chief: Claire Hodgson Executive Producer: Will Foster Senior Producer and Cosmopolitan Sex & Relationships Editor: Brit Dawson Producer: Ruth Holroyd Video Editor: Yoana Pavlova