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By now it shouldn’t come as a surprise that sexting can be great for your relationship. Whether you’ve been in a relationship for a while or you’re just starting something new, sending flirty, dirty messages is a great way to spice things up and keep them fresh — especially if you and your partner are long-distance. The thing is, not all of us are master sext crafters; some of us need a little inspiration when it comes to sexting ideas.

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A professional cuddler who makes a living giving clients hugs has said people travel from all over the globe to receive the cuddle therapy she offers which is “far less intimate than a massage” and helps people from “all walks of life”. Natasha Wicks, 44, from Coventry, West Midlands, says that despite criticism, cuddling is scientifically proven to release happy hormones like dopamine and that a lot of her clients are “the big spoon in life” and go to her for emotional support that they do not have at home. As such, many of her clients are caregivers and most of them join Natasha for two-hour hugging sessions, costing £70 an hour. The sessions vary depending on what the client wants, some having “emotional hugs”, others talking more and some wanting to “sit at opposite ends of the sofa with our legs and feet entwined”. Natasha became a cuddle therapist in 2015 and, while she has had comments online from people criticising the practice, she said that her family and friends were unsurprised when she first started giving professional cuddles. She said: “They all said to me that I give the best cuddles so it’s not surprising that I’d start doing it as a job. “It’s very much what I do, I help people and want to make people feel better. It’s a natural thing when someone is going through a tough time to want to give them a hug. “Cuddle therapy might not be as widely accepted in society but it’s far less intimate than other things like massages which are seen as normal.” Prior to becoming a cuddler, Natasha originally trained as a CBT therapist and counsellor. She said: “There’d be situations where I would be talking to someone and they’d really need a hug, but obviously, you’d have professional boundaries in place and it wouldn’t have been appropriate. “It was just a really natural thing. One client had finished her final session and we had agreed that she wasn’t my patient anymore so we hugged goodbye. She said to me that she’d wanted to do that for a long time and I thought ‘me too’.” Looking into cuddle therapy, which she said was increasing in popularity in 2014, Natasha took a training course. By 2015, she was a qualified cuddler and started taking on new patients for cuddle sessions. Natasha provides a minimum session of one hour but said most people go for at least two hours, sometimes longer if they are receiving more than one type of therapy. She said: “I always give people a hug on the doorstep when they arrive and then they’ll come in and relax, and we’ll have an initial chat about what brings them here. After that, I’ll put on some ambient music and we’ll have a cuddle on my cuddle sofa. “It can be daunting coming into a stranger’s house and I can tell the difference in them from arriving to leaving. The first hug they might be angled away from me but when we’re hugging goodbye, I can get my head in between their neck and shoulders and you can almost feel that a weight has been lifted from them.” There is not one type of person that visits Natasha for cuddles, but she says that a lot of her clients are caregivers. She said: “There’s all sorts of people who come for a cuddle, from people who have moved away from home for the first time and just want a mum hug all the way to people in their 80s. “I’m inclusive of all genders and all ages. I get a lot of clients who are the carers of their family and they are so busy looking after other people, and probably giving the hugs and support to other people, that they don’t have that for themselves. “A lot of people that come to see me are generally people are the big spoon in the life – they take care of others and don’t want to show a vulnerable side to people because they don’t want people to worry that they can’t cope. “I get a lot of carers, a lot of NHS staff, a lot of mums, a lot of people that are in a world where they have to be the strong one in the situation and they just want to be able to come here and let their guard down.” Natasha’s priority is to make people feel at ease when they arrive as she said it can be “nerve wracking” turning up at someone’s house for a hug. Setting out clear boundaries prior to meeting, the therapist has said that the patients she has welcomed into her home have all been respectful. She added: “I always say to people that when your body relaxes, your tummy might crumble and mine might too, but that people don’t need to worry about it. Sometimes people fall asleep and they might snore or fart, it’s just natural things that happen. It’s happened twice where someone has got an erection and that’s fine, I have boundaries and we’ll just change position. “I want people to feel reassured that, as soon as they get in, they feel comfortable.” Despite the unconventional therapy, when Natasha first took on cuddle clients, she said her family were completely “unsurprised” and the step from CBT therapy to cuddle therapy was a “natural evolution”. While Natasha focuses her time on a holistic approach for treating people, she noted that there is also neuroscience behind cuddles. According to the 44-year-old, physical touch activates the brain’s orbitofrontal cortex and cuddling releases oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin. Now, Natasha also does EMDR therapy and is a mental health swim host, and has clients travel from all over the globe to receive her hugs. She said: “Working from Coventry is brilliant because I’m only nine minutes on the train from Birmingham Airport and people come to visit me from all over. I get a client from Belgium, someone from Ireland and people from all over the UK who come to see me. “I wanted to find a sofa bed that just looked like a big comfy sofa for cuddle sessions. I’d started off with a big L shaped sofa but after about five years, it was sagging a bit, there’d been a lot of healing done on that sofa and it was time for a new one. “Now I have a sofa bed in my living room that I use as my cuddle sofa. It’s in the living room and it’s used for everyday life, watching TV with my partner, having people round and also for my work.” Breaking down the taboo around cuddle therapy, Natasha hopes more people will embrace the alternative treatment. She added: “As it’s become more popular, more people are becoming qualified as cuddlers and I think that’s great. “I’ve had comments online before of people thinking it’s weird or not understanding but there are other things we accept in society that are much more intimate than cuddles, like massages. “It’s not weird, it’s actually a really lovely thing to be able to make another soul feel better for a while.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live What is ‘beer tanning’ and why are experts warning against it? Christian Cowan: Designing is like dreaming Deborah James’s daughter launches anniversary clothing line for Bowelbabe Fund

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My mum makes this incredible stir-fried cabbage to accompany our curries, so one day, I thought, ‘I wonder how this would work as a fritter?'” says former Bake Off contestant Crystelle Pereira. “I am pleased to report that the result is an absolute delight. I fry them in coconut oil to form crispy, aromatic patties and serve them with a cooling coconut yogurt dip.” Goan-inspired coconut and cabbage fritters Makes: 3 small Ingredients: 1 large white potato (200–240g), coarsely grated 1 medium brown onion, grated 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt 5 tablespoons coconut oil 7 curry leaves 2 teaspoons cumin seeds 1 teaspoon mustard seeds ¼ white cabbage (130g), finely shredded (I use a mandoline) 20g desiccated coconut 2 large eggs ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric 2 tablespoons plain flour 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 thin green chilli/Indian finger chilli, finely diced For the coconut yogurt dip: 4 heaped tablespoons unsweetened coconut yogurt Juice of 1 lime ½ teaspoon garlic powdera pinch of fine sea salt ¼ teaspoon chilli powder Method: 1. Place the grated potato and onion in a bowl with ½ teaspoon salt and mix well to combine. Transfer the mixture to a large colander over a sink and allow the excess moisture to drain while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. 2. Now temper the spices. Gently heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a frying pan over a low heat and, once warm, add the curry leaves, cumin seeds and mustard seeds, frying for a few minutes until fragrant, making sure not to burn them as they will turn bitter. Tip these spices into a large bowl. 3. Using your hands, squeeze out as much moisture as possible from the grated potato and onion, then tip the drained mixture into the bowl with the spices, mixing well to combine. Add the cabbage, coconut, eggs, turmeric, flour, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper and diced chilli and give this one last final mix to combine everything together. 4. Now fry the fritters. Place the remaining oil in the same frying pan used to temper the spices, over a medium heat. Once the oil is hot, spoon a heaped tablespoon of the mixture into the hot oil, flattening it with the back of the spoon to make a fritter. Fry this for 2½ minutes on each side until crispy and golden, then transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper, to soak up the excess oil. Repeat with the remaining batter. 5. Finally, make the dip. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well to combine. To serve, dip the fritters in the yogurt sauce and enjoy! Recipe from ‘Flavour Kitchen: Vibrant Recipes with Creative Twists by Crystelle Pereira is published by Kyle Books, priced £22. Photography by Vanessa Lewis. Available Now.