I’m a 47-year-old virgin — and here’s why I’m terrified of being intimate

A man says he is still a virgin astatine 47 arsenic he is “petrified” to beryllium friendly pinch anyone.

Andrew Brookman says he’s ever been “timid” and struggled pinch bullying astatine school.

His parents divided erstwhile he was aged 10 which fueled his fearfulness of being social, getting into a narration aliases being friendly pinch anyone, he claims. 

Andrew didn’t want to spell done arguments and had a “fear of life” truthful felt he would “rather beryllium connected my own.”

UK man Andrew Brookman says he is “petrified” to beryllium friendly pinch anyone. Dmitrii Kotin – stock.adobe.com

He says his fears besides stemmed from suppressing his sexuality and homophobia he saw astatine nan clip he was increasing up.

Porn became his “only outlet” and reference for activity and Andrew says he struggled pinch an addiction to watching it for up to a 2 hours a nighttime mundane erstwhile he was successful his 30s.

Now he is starting to unfastened up astir his sexuality and is nary longer ashamed of being a 47-year-old-virgin.

He feels he tin subordinate to those connected Channel 4’s caller show, “Virgin Island” — a unsocial people successful intimacy to thief them flooded nan fears that are holding them back.

Andrew, a cleaner from Wales, said: “I’ve ne'er been successful a relationship.

“Watching different group get divided — and seeing arguments gave maine a fearfulness of being societal and intimate.

“I didn’t want to spell done each that.

“I’d alternatively beryllium connected my own.

“You consciousness a consciousness of shame [being a virgin].

“Having nary confidence, nary self-esteem and nary self-worth and being repressed of activity drove maine to activity therapy because I was petrified of getting friendly pinch anybody.

“I americium not ashamed of being a virgin astatine 47.”

Andrew struggled increasing up and ever felt he was “different.”

He said: “I’ve ever been timid and quiet.

“I’ve ever been afraid, I’ve ever been emotional.

“I sewage bullied successful school.

“I was different. I was odd.”

As a teen he “fancied girls” but didn’t cognize really to advancement immoderate further.

He said: “I wanted to move guardant but I couldn’t because of my confidence.”

At aged 16, Andrew realized he was attracted to men and cheery but he was fearful of opening up astir his sexuality owed to homophobia successful nine astatine nan time.

He said: “The fearfulness grew.

“I went into nan closet.”

In his precocious 20s he had therapy and was put connected anti-depressants but Andrew still struggled to get passed his fear.

He besides tackled a porn addiction successful his 30s erstwhile he sewage his ain spot — which saw him watch cheery porn each night.

Andrew said: “It was my only outlet.

“It was my only measurement of emotion activity and seeing sex.

“I wanted to beryllium doing it arsenic well. I was suspicious of them [the porn stars].

“I was enraged that I couldn’t moreover person activity successful private.”

Now he is starting to fto his walls down by penning a book called “Colours of a uncommon bird.”

He says penning really he feels down has helped him flooded shame and he has volunteered for nan first clip ever astatine his section pride.

Andrew says he dislikes that group will laughter astir others being virgins.

He said: “It’s not funny.

“By now I should beryllium openly cheery — I should beryllium successful a relationship.

“I’m not acrophobic to admit it now [that he’s a virgin].”