“Works like a charm”: Edwina Bartholomew’s surprising trick for a happy marriage
Edwina Bartholomew has revealed that for the past seven years, she and her husband have been sleeping in separate bedrooms.
The couple have been together for ten years and married for five, and Edwina claimed it is their unique sleeping arrangement that has “kept their love alive”.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, the 39-year-old admitted, “it shocks people when they come to our house and see two rooms set up. One for me with a pinkish bedspread, big wardrobe and piles of magazines and books.
“One set up for my husband with his gym gear and other ‘manly’ stuff. My room is always messy. His is always neat. He is a bed-maker. I am not. He puts his clothes away. I like to file mine away on top of a chair in case I need them again.”
While the rooms are a surprise and an amusement to their guests, that’s far from the case for the pair, with Edwina announcing them “the secret to our happy marriage”.
With some concerned about how their arrangement might impact their sex life, Edwina noted that she and husband Neil Varcoe share two children - Molly, three, and Thomas, who is nearing one.
“When I would get up for work, he would struggle to get back to sleep, so we decided to trial separate rooms,” Edwina told News Corp Australia of their decision to try having their own rooms, before going on to explain how having kids locked in their decision.
“When we had kids, it continued.” She explained, “I would sleep overnight with the baby in my room and then he would wake up early to take over. Ten years into our relationship and five years into our marriage, it works a charm.”
Edwina and Neil are not the first public figures to keep their sleep separate. Retired NRL star Benji Marshall and his wife Zoe have had their own beds for over 10 years - Zoe once told news.com.au that it was “heaven” for the couple.
In fact, it may even be something of a royal arrangement, with the late Queen and Duke of Edinburgh also having slept separately.
Relationship experts are divided on the subject of separate bedrooms.
Those who are in favour of the arrangement mention the benefits - from a good night’s sleep to an improved sex life. Some, however, fear it could lead to a lack of communication between a couple.
It seems Edwina and Neil have found the sweet spot for a successful marriage - and for getting some much-needed sleep - with the couple set to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary in April.
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