‘I fell for a male escort’

‘Golden’, a British gigolo, caused a media frenzy by writing about his experiences. So, why do successful women hire escorts? Former client Angela Evans, 35, reveals all

For six years, I had been unhappily married to a successful older man. I’d always gone after alpha males – men who made money and decisions – but the reality was oppressive. I couldn’t even choose my own food from the menu. My choices lay in his hands. I felt trapped and bullied, so eventually, we divorced. Fragile as glass and utterly bewildered, I found myself back on the singles’ market.

I knew I had to hoist myself back into the dating saddle, but I faltered – what if I was hurt and disappointed again? I worked in a very chauvinistic environment – commercial property acquisition – and I didn’t want to go out with men like that, who would masquerade as nice guys until they got you into bed, then never call again. I needed a band-aid boyfriend. Someone to patch up my tattered self-esteem, rather than trash my heart; someone to soothe my ego and propel me back into the dating game feeling stronger.

Two years later, aged 30, I was still in the same catch-22 situation – I dated men but my defences flew up before they got too close to my bruised ego. The answer presented itself when a friend invited me to a Fashion Week party. Nursing a glass of champagne nervously, watching the beautiful people get wasted, I spotted a fortysomething friend, Lara, from across the room. She, like me, was licking her wounds after a painful divorce. Yet she looked glowing and happy. The man beside her came into view. A couple of decades younger than Lara, he looked like Orlando Bloom. The way his hand lingered on her waist, they were clearly intimate.

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