The idea of settling down at the right time also plays into societal expectations to get married and have kids before a certain age, something that “women often feel much more because of the realities of having children during certain years of life”, says Skinner. But it doesn’t have to be this way. “Many of us live in a society that allows for a high degree of choice and permits people to prioritise other aspects of life, like a career or travel,” she adds.

While ultimately, there isn’t one formula that defines the right time to commit to someone (“It depends on so many variables,” says Skinner), being emotionally ready and at a stable time of your life is likely to play a part in it. When they rekindled their relationships with their current boyfriends, neither Ellen nor Sasha was looking to meet ‘the one’, but they also both say they were tired of the emotional rollercoaster of dating and breakups. “I’d done a lot of online dating in my 20s and it was starting to feel pretty soul-destroying, so I was ready to ditch that side of things,” says Ellen. For both them, this was one of the factors that meant it felt like a good time to get into a serious relationship.

As far as Masterson’s concerned, we would all do well to stop theorising and start accepting the reality that we are all ready to settle down at different times. So long as we communicate our expectations with our partner, accepting the role that timing plays can be a brilliant and freeing thing.

* Name has been changed

Does everyone really reach a time when they are ready to ‘settle’?