My boyfriend is the least affectionate person I know

DEAR DEIDRE: MY boyfriend was single for so long that he’s now an emotional vacuum – he can’t show his feelings.

We get on brilliantly when we’re together, and I can see a future with him, but when we’re apart he’s a cold fish.

It’s been a year since we met. I’m 38 and he’s 40.

Before we started dating he’d been single for 13 years.

He says it’s so long since he’s had a relationship that he can’t remember what love feels like.

He finds it impossible to talk about his emotions. When we’re apart, it’s like I don’t exist.

It’s making me feel really insecure and miserable. It feels like he doesn’t really care for me.

But when I asked if he wanted to split, he said definitely not.

Should I give up on him?

DEIDRE SAYS: He’s out of the habit of sharing his life with someone else, and it sounds like he’s also protecting himself from getting hurt.

But this is making you unhappy and he needs to understand that good communication is essential in a relationship.

Tell him how you feel and ask him to try to make more effort to open up.

Read my support pack, Hiding His Feelings?