Our Story
MySingleFriend was born from a simple truth: your friends know you better than any algorithm ever could. What started as a kitchen-table idea has become a movement to make dating more authentic, more fun, and more human.
dating…with a little help from your friends
Most dating apps ask you to sell yourself. Write a witty bio, pick your best angles, project a version of yourself that's half marketing, half wishful thinking. But people don't connect with a polished pitch — they connect with the real you. And nobody describes the real you better than your best friend.
That insight is the foundation of MySingleFriend. We believe the people who know you best are your greatest advocates. Whether it's a friend hyping you up, a sibling keeping you humble, or a colleague telling it like it is — the people in your life paint a more honest, more charming, and more compelling picture than you'd ever dare write yourself.
Where it all began
MySingleFriend was co-founded by Sarah Beeny — broadcaster, entrepreneur, and one of the UK's most recognised television presenters. Known for hit shows like Property Ladder and Sarah Beeny's New Life in the Country, Sarah has spent decades helping people find their dream homes. In 2004, she turned her attention to helping people meet someone brilliant.
The idea came from real life. Sarah loved introducing friends to each other — she was always the one trying to set people up. But eventually she ran out of single friends. That's when it clicked: what if you could do the same thing, but with friends of friends? What if, instead of yet another profile you wrote alone at midnight, your best friend could set you up properly?
In 2007, MySingleFriend launched to the public — and the response was electric. Featured across The Telegraph, Marie Claire, Metro, Cosmopolitan, and the Daily Mail, it became one of the UK's most-talked-about dating platforms.
The early days in numbers
Our journey
The idea is born
Sarah Beeny and her team begin developing a dating concept where friends write your profile. The premise is radical: take the pen out of the dater's hand and give it to the people who know them best.
MySingleFriend goes live
The platform launches publicly as a website, quickly gaining national press attention. The "friend-written profile" concept captures the imagination of singles across the UK.
A Date with Sarah Beeny
Sarah publishes the MySingleFriend guide to dating, flirting, and finding love — sharing the philosophy and real stories behind the platform.
Growth & thousands of love stories
MySingleFriend becomes one of the UK's leading dating sites. Hundreds of thousands of members sign up. Marriages, engagements, and families begin — all started by a friend's recommendation.
The world changes, but the idea holds
As swipe culture takes hold, MySingleFriend continues to champion depth over speed. The platform evolves with two-way matching and flexible profiles, while staying true to its core principle: real people, real friends, real connections.
A new chapter — Sarah Beeny returns
Sarah Beeny re-engages with the brand she co-founded, bringing fresh energy and a bold new vision. With the world tired of curated perfection and algorithmic matching, MySingleFriend is being reimagined for a generation that craves authenticity.
MySingleFriend reborn — video-first dating
The platform relaunches as a mobile-first app centred on authentic video Q&A. Instead of static profiles, your friends film candid, unscripted answers about you. It's the original MySingleFriend idea — supercharged for the way people actually connect today. Unscripted, unfiltered, unforgettable.
Where we're headed
We're just getting started. The founding idea — that your friends are your best matchmakers — has never been more relevant. We'll keep building, keep listening, and keep putting authenticity at the centre of everything we do.
Our mission
We're on a mission to make dating human again.
In a world of algorithms and artificial perfection, we believe the best introductions still come from the people who know you. A best friend's laugh when they describe your worst habit. A sibling's eye-roll paired with genuine pride. A colleague who knows exactly what makes you brilliant — and exactly how to take the mick.
MySingleFriend puts real relationships at the heart of finding new ones. No bios. No bots. Just authentic, unscripted moments that show who you really are.
What we stand for
Authenticity over perfection
Real connections start with real people. We celebrate the unpolished, unscripted, beautifully imperfect truth of who you are.
Friends first
Your friends are your greatest advocates. We give them the platform to help you find love — the way it's always actually happened.
Safety & respect
We're committed to creating a safe, inclusive space where everyone is treated with kindness and respect. No exceptions.
Joy in the journey
Dating should be fun — not a chore. We're here to bring the laughter, the butterflies, and the good stories back into finding love.
