I went on 126dates to find a husband

EXCLUSIVE: Paula Rosdol was determined she would find a husband before she turned 50 - and 126 dates later she found the man of her dream ms...

After getting divorced at 38, Paula Rosdol was single for seven years - until she embarked on a five-year campaign to find herself a husband.

She decided to date as many men as she could until she met THE one.

"I wanted to be married again by the time I was 50," says Paula.

"Even when I'd dated 100 men and still not found Mr Right, I was determined not to give up," she says. "I was going to date another 100 men if that's what it took."

After 125 dates businesswoman Paula, now 51, finally met the man she would marry.

"My 126th date was with Paul and we clicked the moment we met," she explains. "He was tall, dark and handsome and ticked all my boxes.

"It's harder to find someone in your 40s because there are fewer available partners," she says. "I was a management consultant and drew up business plans, so that''s what I did - I drew up a plan to find a boyfriend who could become a husband."

Stage One of Paula's plan meant looking her best for the datint looking her best for the whitened, and revamped her wardrobe and make-up.

"I had to look the part," she says, "so I changed my hair from dark brown to red. I even adapted my fast-paced walkstyle paced walking style hip-swinging one!"

And so the manhunt began. Candidate number one was a businessman who wanted her to be his co-pilot... in the skies as well as in life, because he was a keen flyer. "I have a fear of flying so there was no way we were a match."

Undeterred, Paula renewed her search and decided to cast the net wider - websites, sports clubs and business contacts.

And she knew what she was looking for. "He had to be well-educated, successful and sophisticated, with a good sense of humour and a fondness for travel," she says.

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"I'd meet men I was excited by but the feeling wasn't reciprocated, or vice versa. I'd think the date had been a roaring success, then be bitterly disappointed when they said they didn't want to see me again.

It took a lot of energy and effort," she admits. "One day I met an internet specialist for coffee, a financial consultant for lunch, then had dinner with a retired businessman - I was exhausted by the end of it!"

Friends were amazed. One pal had three blind dates in one year that didn't work out and couldn't face more rejection - by which time Paula was on date number 86.

"I learned such a lot about myself," she says. "I thought I was broad-minded about being with someone overweight, for example, but I found that wasn't something I could do.

"I discovered I needed a man who would put me first in his life, which meant I wasn't a fit with a man who had small children or who was obsessed with work.

"Luckily no date was a disaster - I never had the 'get me out here' feeling," Paula explains, "There was only one awkward moment, when a date invited me to a nudist camp. I declined politely." Finally in February 2008, two and a half years after her search began, a friend introduced her to date number 126 - Paul, a financier who lived near her in London.

"We started seeing each other as friends first so it didn't feel like a 'date'.

"Six weeks later, he kissed me, and everything changed. It slowly dawned on me that I finally met the man I had been looking for all this time."

Six months later he proposed, and they wed a month after that, in September 2008.

That was when Paula decided to set up a dating website to help other women. She explains: "I wanted to help other single women take control of their love lives, and since I set up the website (www.paularosdol.com) I have helped more than 100 women.

My strategy is to stay positive, then you'll have lots of fun finding your man. Get out there and make yourself available.

"I tell clients to enjoy dating and make it part of their social life. It should feel fun. It took 126 dates to find my husband - but it was worth every minute!"

From: Mirrors.co.uk