Polyamorous married couple say sex with others has brought them closer: 'Humans aren’t made for monogamy'
A happily married polyamorous couple have revealed how sleeping with others has improved their relationship and why they are hoping to help other couples find the same joy.
Urban Dictionary defines being polyamorous as "the state of having multiple sexually or romantically committed relationships at the same time, with the consent of all partners involved".
Gage Masterson, 32, and Olivia, 31, from Lincoln initially started exploring the swinging lifestyle around five years ago when she admitted to her husband that she was bicurious.
Since then, the couple regularly enjoy sleeping with other people, together and separately, and claim their relationship has really benefitted.
They say it allows them to fulfil their fantasies while also improving their own sex life as a couple, and has led them to believe that humans aren't supposed to be monogamous.
The pair are so passionate about their swinging lifestyle that they have even launched a business to help other couples find the same enjoyment.
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"Meeting someone, getting married, and only sleeping with that one person for the rest of your life just doesn't seem like it could work," Gage explains. "While Olivia and I are definitely emotionally monogamous, our marriage has reached new levels since we started sleeping with other people.
"The thought of Olivia with a woman was something I was a big fan of, and we decided to explore it further," Gage continues. "We started looking at sites where we could find other people and couples to meet up with and we discovered parties that we could also attend.
"Of course we were both nervous the first few times, but we instantly fell in love with the lifestyle. We discovered that sleeping with other people actually made our sex life as a couple so much better too.
"It's definitely brought us closer together."
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While experimenting with other people in the bedroom may seem like an unusual concept to many couples, Gage and Olivia explain that the key to successful swinging is being open with your partner and having boundaries to ensure that they're both comfortable.
"Throughout everything, Olivia and I ensure that the other person is comfortable with the situation and check in on each other to make sure that the experience is enjoyable for us both," Gage explains. "This is why communication is vital.
"Most people will have ground rules that they stick to, which just makes sure that everyone involved is feeling happy and avoids any negative feelings such as jealousy. However, jealousy isn't ever something that comes up for Olivia and I.
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"We both want each other to have all these incredible experiences in the bedroom, fulfil all of our fantasies, and then come back together and tell each other all about it all.
"When we go back to each other after playing with others, it's like our bond and connection is stronger than it has ever been. We can't keep away from each other and it improves our sex life more than you could ever imagine.
"We never have to worry about cheating either, because if we see someone and we fancy them, we're open with each other about it. We know we can have fun with them, but then know that we will always come back to each other.
"Olivia and I are married, we have built a life together, and we love each other so much. It's different from being sexually attracted to someone."
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The couple, who are childhood sweethearts that met in their teens and have been married for 11 years, say they've never been happier than they are now.
They share their knowledge and experience on their social media channels and TV shows such as Channel 4's Open House where they can be seen helping other couples who want to dip their toe into the world of non-monogamy.
"We want to help other people have the amazing experiences that we have, and want to be able to do this in a safe way which is why we set up our business, Swinghub," Gage explains.
"It's a non-monogamous social networking app where users can meet each other in a safe way and they can also find lots of useful information about the lifestyle to help them navigate it."
Additional reporting Caters.