Andrea Sunshine, a 56-year-old grandmother who says she has slept with around 800 people, has revealed she has currently given up sex. The fitness enthusiast, who lives in Ibiza and is single, said her life has changed drastically and opened up about what led her to stop.
Life-changing decision
Despite her previously active intimate life, Andrea insists she "doesn't miss it" and has learned a lot about herself along the way. She has found other ways to occupy her time and says she is looking for something pretty special when it comes to relationships.
Andrea, who boasts over 400,000 followers on Instagram, said: "I really don’t usually go very long without having sex with someone, so I think I may have broken a personal record this time."
A personal record
She continued: "I’ve gone about a month and a half without having sex with another person, but I’m still talking about sex, thinking about sex, fantasising and experiencing pleasure. I don’t feel sexually inactive at all."
Even though some may think she has sacrificed a lot, she admitted she has been feeling good about herself, her body and her sexuality. During the day, she is busy with work, training and projects. In her alone time, she sometimes indulges in self-pleasure, but how often she does so varies.
Discovering desire
At the time of the interview, Andrea said: "Yesterday, for example, I spent two or three hours enjoying myself and woke up happy. I don’t have a set routine. It happens when I feel like it."
When asked about the differences she has noticed, she added: "I’ve discovered how much my imagination contributes to my pleasure. I can create a story, change the setting and imagine anyone I want."
She explained: "The people in those fantasies are imaginary, but what I feel in my body is real. Sometimes one fantasy leads to another, and I simply don’t want to leave that story. At 56, I’m still discovering new ways to feel desire for myself."
What she wants now
Even though she hasn't been having sex, she still enjoys it and confessed she is "open to sharing that pleasure". However, these days, she said an encounter has to add something to the experience she can already have on her own.
Andrea said: "Sometimes my imagination turns me on more than someone else’s touch. I’m not looking for company to prove that I’m still desirable. I can still want love and enjoy a fulfilling sex life on my own while I wait for it."
When it comes to what she is looking for in a sexual partner, chemistry, respect, attentiveness and the freedom to talk about what they enjoy top the list. She also desires friendship, honesty and a sense of partnership and trust.
She continued: "For me, that honesty needs to be accompanied by emotional maturity. I want both of us to feel able to speak about difficult things, including admitting a mistake, rather than hiding them out of fear of the other person’s reaction."
When asked what would convince her to have sex again, she said: "Someone who awakens my desire and with whom I genuinely want to share that moment. I don’t need to meet a target or end this phase simply because an opportunity comes along."
Andrea is also the author of Bodiless Desire – The Infinite Love of a Human Soul for Her Artificial Intelligence - and says sexuality and desire have increasingly become part of her writing and creative work.
