Rabbetting On: 'Girls it's time to focus on our platonic love stories'

It's not necessarily always a bad thing but I have realised recently that the most fulfilling relationships in my life aren't romantic, but platonic.

The friendships I have cultivated are some of the most pure, loving, and devoted, that I could have ever wished for.

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We understand each other's love languages (and abide by them), we carve time out of our days and weeks to dedicate to one another, and in moments of hardship, they are my signposts.

I think we feel such pressure to 'fall in love' that we forget about the importance of other relationships. The ones that fulfil us even when our hair is a mess, our fake tan is patchy or we're going through a Vegan-phase.

My romantic relationships have always taken up a lot of brain space with endless questions and second guesses like 'Should I say this? Does this sound needy? Am I coming on too strong? But with my girls, there's no such thing as too much.

I am hyper-aware that I have extraordinary friendships, we communicate well, hang out frequently, and as my other half says "there isn't a rizla between us" - but I wouldn't want to have it any other way.

Knowing what my friends are thinking from the tiniest eye movement, or talking nonsense for hours over a packet of teacakes are among my greatest pleasures in life.

I am lucky that many of my closest friendships have lasted well over a decade. We have loved, laughed (at and with), and adored each other through every phase of our personalities. Through break-ups and breakdowns, questionable fashion choices, dodgy dates, and major milestones.

I frequently spend hours - and I mean hours - laughing with my best friends about things that no one else would find even remotely funny.

We have laughed through trauma (sorry for all the dead mum jokes), pain, and our happiest moments together. And whenever life throws a curveball my way, they are always my first point of contact.

We fill up each other's emotional cups to such an extent, that sometimes we have found that our romantic relationships pail in comparison. "Oh, he isn't buying you flowers? Never mind I grew you these in my garden." "He hasn't told you you're hot today? Well, I'd sell my soul to look like you."

These relationships are free from pressure or expectation, for example, I don't need to shave my legs (or anything else) to hang out with my friends, in fact, the hairier the better - it will give us all a good laugh.

Haven't showered for days or eaten a decent meal all week? No problem babe, come on over, let's get you fed.

They are also (as I have discovered in the process of writing this column) the people who have been collecting embarrassing photos of you since Secondary school and are waiting to drop them at a moment's notice. (You have been warned!)

Their secrets are my secrets, their achievements mine too, my love for these women runs so deep and with such ferocity that I could spend my life as a spinster and never feel lonely.

It is so difficult to make new friends as an adult - something they never tell you when you're young - so cultivating and caring for these relationships is so important.

These are the people who will tell you how it is - even when you don't want to hear it. They'll celebrate the fact you changed your sheets and went for a walk today, but they'll be the person to tell you in no uncertain terms that "He's never going to change."

So, ladies, you heard it first, we (myself included, don't worry I'm not being self-righteous) need to spend less time thinking about whether we should text him back and more time asking our friends what type of biscuit they'd be. Trust me their answer will be more interesting.

And while I genuinely still yearn to get married and make my husband packed lunches (blame TikTok it's made it seem far too glamorous). I'd far rather envision a future where I get wine-drunk with my mum-friends and we all live on the same street.

As the old saying goes 'boyfriends may come and go but this is for life'.