A SURVEY on the borough's sex life has revealed that residents believe having a laugh' is twice as important as sexual intercourse.

The survey, which was carried out by Rolos' makers Nestle, in a re-evaluation of the time-honoured slogan, Do you love anyone enough to give them your last Rolo?''

According to their research, three quarters of happy couples in Hounslow say the key to having a successful long-term relationship boils down to nothing more than having a laugh', which is four times more important than romance and twice as important as sex.

Rolo nicknamed these relationship stalwarts 'Rudys' after Richard and Judy, who rated in the survey as the number one celebrity couple that future lovebirds should aspire to.

According to one third of Hounslow couples questioned, it's the TV combo's ability to laugh at themselves and take the mickey out of each other that makes their relationship stand the test of time.

Teasing was far higher on the agenda than romance for virtually all of Hounslow's Rudys (84 per cent), with the relationship experts putting the likes of Zoe and Norman and Sadie Frost and Jude Law's 'fancy-but-failed' marriages down to a major lacking in the comedy department.

Despite public displays of affection from 'serious romances' like Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones, their sickly behaviour failed to earn them a mention when local Rudys were asked which celeb couple they thought were truly in love.

Perennial singletons like Robbie Williams or Geri Halliwell, who both have a string of failed relationships behind them, should take note: fancy restaurants, flowers and extravagant gifts are out of the window - almost half the Rudys in Hounslow (46 per cent) said that sharing a joke together is far more important than romantic wining, dining and wooing.

Smoochy ballads are a turn-off too - successful couples said they are three times more likely to 'get it on' to rock/dance act 'Prodigy' than blissful youth pop such as 'Westlife'.

The survey concludes that those looking for love should lighten up and take things less seriously - 90 per cent of Hounslow Rudys said that they have a lot of fun with their partner.

May 30, 2003 12:00