IT’S one of society’s greatest sexual taboos. But can an open relationship lead to lasting love?
As marriage rates drop to the lowest on record, a new Channel 4 show — Open House: The Great Sex Experiment — sets out to answer that question.
Paul GroomGrace Harrison-Yates was happy to help the couples[/caption] 
Jonathan FordPrecious caught the eye of Jess and Mike[/caption]
The bold social trial sees eight monogamous couples, all keen to explore if they would be happier in an open relationship, visit a country manor retreat to see if introducing a third person into the bedroom can turbo-charge their relationship.
The retreat is also home to some sexually liberated residents who would not look out of place on TV’s Love Island, and who are ready to turn the couples’ sexual fantasies into reality.
While at the retreat, the curious couples attend socials where they play erotic games with the residents before picking who they would like to spend the night with — and have their sexy antics captured on night-vision cameras.
On hand to help them is leading psychologist and relationship therapist Dr Lori Beth Bisbey.
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‘Explore desires’
Dr Lori, who is in an open marriage herself, said: “I have more than 30 years’ experience helping couples who want to open up their relationships.
“And to do that and have it work, the couple need to be trusting, have fantastic communication and be emotionally resilient.
“It can be successful and I’ve seen couples come out with stronger relationships.
“This retreat was a safe space for people to explore their desires and I was always available when things went wrong or someone got upset, which they did.”
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But Sun advice column editor Sally Land urges caution.
She says: “Inviting a third person into your relationship sounds exciting.
“But while some can make it work, judging from my mailbox there are far more stories of heartbreak.
Dr Lori is in an open marriage herself
“For an open relationship to work, both partners must be emotionally secure, excellent communicators and agree some clear boundaries beforehand.
“But it is far better for any couple to work on their sex life and freshen things up without any risk.”
So is it possible to open up a relationship without causing harm?
Here, we speak to two of the new show’s couples, who give their verdict.
MADY AND NATHAN…AND PRECIOUS…AND GRACE
BUSINESS student and call handler Mady Delegado, 20, lives in Swansea with her partner Nathan Harrison, 25, a personal trainer and security guard.
The couple went on the show because they wanted help to have their first threesome, or “throuple”.
Huw EvansMady Delegado and Nathan Harrison went on the show because they wanted help to have their first threesome[/caption]
Mady says: “We were just talking about it in bed one day: ‘Do you know what? A throuple might work.’
“You know — extra income, extra set of hands and an extra person to love.
“We just saw all of the benefits and they out-weighed all the potential negatives.”
Going into the experiment, Mady, who is bisexual, admits her biggest fear was seeing Nathan with another woman, and being jealous.
She says: “I was waiting for the green-eyed monster but it never came. I didn’t feel an ounce of jealousy.”
They decided to invite Precious Muir back to their room, where they quickly made their way to the king-size bed and undressed. But unfortunately for the couple, their sexual fantasy was not quite realised.
Nathan says: “Who wouldn’t want to spend the night with two beautiful women? But it’s not as simple as guys imagine.”
He adds: “I couldn’t get aroused. There was a lot of pressure — I knew it was going to be on TV.”
His feelings were further hurt when he was pushed to the side of the bed while Mady and 37-year-old Precious, who runs her own hair and beauty business in London, continued the action without him.
Mady says: “I did get a bit carried away. I’d not been with a woman for a few years. I made him feel left out.”
The couple even came close to breaking up, but with the help of Dr Lori sorted out their problems.
Mady says: “It’s good we had Dr Lori. If we hadn’t had the chance to do this show, who knows what would have happened? I basically ignored Nathan that night.
Hot tub and bubbly
“I should have been there with him in the moment because it’s about us as a couple.”
The next night they asked another resident, 24-year-old Notts dancer Grace Harrison-Yates, to share a hot tub and a bottle of bubbly with them.
Mady says: “Grace was so open from the get-go. She had really good energy.” They invited Grace up to their room — and this time all three were left very satisfied.
Grace shared a hot tub with Mady and Nathan
Nathan says: “It felt like the first night we lost our threesome virginity. After we’d had that chat with Dr Lori it was like a weight was lifted off our shoulders and we could just enjoy ourselves.”
Knowing their sexual encounter will be shown on TV, he jokes: “It’s a late-night show — my mum will be in bed asleep by 10pm.”
The couple say the experience has made them stronger and they plan to continue opening up their relationship to ease the pressure on each other when either party wants a bit of time off.
Mady says: “The experiences we’ve had since leaving the show have just been sexual rather than relationships. But that has just been really good for our relationship in terms of trust and jealousy and togetherness.
“It’s really helped with all three of those.”
JESS AND MIKE…AND PRECIOUS..AND TWO OTHER WOMEN
MIKE MILLER, 34, and wife Jess, 33, live in Southend, Essex, with her 12-year-old daughter from a previous relationship and their eight-year-old son.
The adult content creators have been married for five years.
JOHN McLELLANJess and Mike had fantasied for years about a threesome[/caption]
Former beauty therapist Jess and husband Mike, who used to be a DJ and events boss, moved into adult entertainment four years ago to spend more time with each other.
The couple, who upload videos of themselves having sex to sites such as OnlyFans, had fantasised for years about a threesome.
But Jess says: “The misconception people have about our industry is that we’d have sex with anyone. We’re picky. You’ve got to have a connection.”
Mike adds: “You can’t perform if you’re not feeling it.”
They considered a threesome with a female pal three years ago but changed their minds for fear of ruining their marriage — and their friendship with the woman.
Jess, who is bi-curious, says: “We have such a special relationship, we can talk about anything. But I’ve never been with a woman before. I’ve only ever kissed a girl. So there was that to consider.”
Mike adds of threesomes: “We were open to the idea but didn’t know how to go about it. That’s why the show was great, because you had experts to guide you.”
‘Closer and stronger’
On arriving at the retreat, Mike and Jess immediately spot one resident, Precious, and invite her to their room.
But Mike says: “We didn’t have full sex. We did everything else except sex. I was waiting for the green light from Jess but it never came.”
Jess had felt insecure.
She says: “When Mike started kissing Precious, my heart sank — it went on for longer than I’d expected.
“We hadn’t set boundaries and I’d also never been with a woman, so I wasn’t confident.
“Precious stayed in our bed and she and Mike fell asleep but I couldn’t sleep. I felt sick. Mike had been paying compliments to Precious but nothing was coming my way. I was thinking he was going to have sex with her in the middle of the night.”
The next day, Dr Lori invited the couple to talk through their problems, and she helped Jess to realise her insecurity was down to a previous bad relationship.
Jess says: “My ex cheated on me with my friend and those feelings of not being good enough came back that night.”
Mike adds: “That was always my concern prior to this — but Jess thinking I would prefer Precious is obviously not true. It would never happen.”
After their talk with Dr Lori, the couple invited Precious for a second date. This time they all had sex, and no one was left out.
Jess says: “It was one of our best sexual experiences. We were so invested that we forgot the cameras were there.”
The couple have met up with Precious twice since filming ended, and have had threesomes with two other women.
Both say their experience on the show has brought them closer as a couple.
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Jess says: “I’m glad we did it because we had so much support.”
Mike adds: “For many, it can ruin a relationship, but we’ve been together for ten years and trust each other. It’s brought us closer. We’ve come out stronger.”
- Open House: The Great Sex Experiment airs on Channel 4 on Friday at 10pm.
