Dad bods – the male equivalent of mum tums and euphemistic ‘post-pregnancy curves’ – have beaten beach bodies as the fuller figure women prefer.
Men’s health magazines may have taught a generation of males that to win a woman’s heart, or at least catch her eye, you must first have a body usually seen carved from marble.
But it seems a dad bod, and the accompanying children, show a paternal side that can melt hearts.
A whopping 56% of women said they would happily date a dad, according to a poll by dating site MySingleFriend.
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According to their research, British women are after much more than rippling muscles, in fact, it is the softer sides of the dad bod that make the girls go wild.
Sarah Beeny, TV personality and founder of MySingleFriend, said: “Who wants a guy that’s all muscles when you can have a real man, paunch and all to cuddle up to?”
One in six women claim to prefer a more huggable hubby, compared to one in nine who said they prefer fitness fanatics.
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This preference was most pronounced in Wales where 24% of women profess to wanting a hunkier, chunkier partner.
Around a third of the women surveyed said that an interest in settling down was the main factor in deciding whether a date was boyfriend material or just a wet blanket.
One in seven went as far as to say it was preferable to date a man who already had children as it showed the potential partner is family minded.
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The reasons for this seemed clear to Ms Beeny who said: “It is no surprise to me that women love to date men with children from a previous relationship.
“There is something about the sight of a caring, sensitive man looking after his children that makes women’s hearts melt.”
Alongside the site’s rigorous research into the benefits of a portly partner, MySingleFriend compiled a list of the top ten hottest dads according to their users.
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Here’s the list of the world’s top ten desirable dads in full:
- David ‘make your bed’ Beckham
- Prince ‘pocket money’ William
- Ben ‘affable’ Affleck
- Brad ‘tidy your pit’ Pitt
- Johnny ‘daddy’ Depp
- Pierce ‘out for a pint’ Brosnan
- Chris ‘ask your mum’ Martin
- Simon ‘cause I say so’ Cowell
- Richard ‘king of the shed’ Branson
- Matt ‘DIY’ Damon
