Ex-Made in Chelsea star Jamie Laing recently announced on his podcast, NearlyWeds, which stars his fiancée Sophie Habboo, that he used to picture his mum's face during sex with Sophie. While this may seem weird, Pippa Murphy, sex and relationship expert at condoms.uk has revealed that it is in fact surprisingly common and that there's a positive reason why this happens.
Pippa said: "While Jamie is brave to admit this, it's a lot more common than you may think and mostly happens to people that find themselves in a positive and happy relationship. If they have a good relationship with their parent(s), they may subconsciously think that their partner would make also make a good parent, which is why they think of their parent during sex.
"It's actually a compliment and a sign that you feel safe and comfortable with the person, just as you do with your parents. However, if you're in an unhappy relationship or not a relationship at all, it could be a major red flag.
"If you're having sex with someone you shouldn't or somewhere you shouldn't, it could be a sign of anxiousness at the thought of your parents finding out and making a judgment. This is especially the case if you grew up with a parent that told you off for doing things you shouldn't have done.
"Or if you're in a relationship which isn't stable enough for you to have considered your partner as a potential parent (yet), then thinking of your parent during sex is actually a form of self-sabotage. Your subconscious mind doesn’t want you to enjoy having sex and is, therefore, telling you that something isn’t right. It's important to take note of this intrusive thought as your gut is rarely, if ever, wrong."
Speaking to Jamie, Sophie said: "You had a problem where you kept having sex with me and thinking I was Penny [Jamie's mum], and you told me, I was like 'oh god'. He went, 'don't worry, it's really normal,' I was like 'I'm sure it is'."
Although Jamie no longer pictures his mum while having sex, his response was: "There was a period for a bit, it's an anxiety thing I think, lots of people have it. It's like standing on the tube platform and thinking, 'I could just jump in front of the tube', or you look over an edge and think, 'I could just jump over the edge'. There are knives in the kitchen and you think I'm going to stab myself'."
