All UK needs is love: new research revealed to celebrate ‘A Rose Petal Summer’ by Katie Fforde

• Brits fall in love three times on average in a lifetime, and usually twice by age 24
• British men fall in love more often than women
• One in six Brits have lost their heart to someone unobtainable
  

A third of Brits have fallen in love at first sight, according to a new study to celebrate the publication of the latest romantic novel A Rose Petal Summer from best-selling author Katie Fforde. New research reveals that Brits fall in love on average three times during their life time - and twice by the age of 24.

The research into the nation's love lives found that men fall head over heels more readily, and typically do so three times in a lifetime, while women tend to fall in love just twice.

But being a nation of hopeless romantics comes with its downsides. Many are harbouring secret desires, with a quarter still pining after an ex - and the study shows that one in six of us have lost our heart to someone they couldn’t be with.

Katie Fforde, author of A Rose Petal Summer and president of the Romantic Novelists Association, said: 'I very much believe in love at first sight. That is how I feel about the time I met my husband Desmond so I know it’s possible.