This time last year she was attempting to find a partner on Celebs Go Dating, but Sinitta now tells Closer that not only has she found love, she’s also having the most fun in the bedroom ever, ahead of her 60th birthday.
The 59-year-old says, “I’m dating someone! I’m trying to keep secret about it, but I’m so happy. I’ve been dating him since April. I fell in love with my best friend.
“I actually feel more confident and happier than I’ve been in my life, because I’m not self-conscious and I know what I want sexually. I know how to get what I want and how to ask for it, I’m not afraid and I’m not just that people pleaser – I’m someone who wants pleasure for myself in all things.”
Sinitta – who rose to fame in the 1980s with her track, So Macho – has had a roller-coaster love life over the years, including an on/off relationship with Hollywood actor Brad Pitt between 1986 and 1988 and an 18-month romance with pop star David Essex, who was 17 years her senior.
Then, from 2002-2009, Sinitta was married to Andy Willner, with the pair adopting two children – Zac and Magdalena, now both 17 – in 2008 together. Their divorce was finalised in 2010, with Sinitta saying at the time, “The truth is even now I don’t know why he divorced me.”
In addition, after meeting in the ’80s, Sinitta was in a relationship with talent show mogul Simon Cowell. The pair were seemingly on and off for 20 years, but despite Simon starting to date his now-fiancée Lauren Silverman in 2012, Sinitta recently suggested that her relationship with Simon didn’t end for good until Lauren, 46, gave birth to Eric Cowell, nine, in 2014.
She said, “There was always an element of, ‘Well, it’s never really over’, but when Eric was born that was it. I would never come between his family.”
Unconventionally, Simon and Lauren are still good friends with Sinitta today, with the X Factor boss even having met her new man.
Sinitta tells Closer, “When I told Simon, he wanted to have a conversation with him. He did the whole big brother ‘We need to talk’ thing, which was very cute.
“He approves – and that’s a hard pass because Simon doesn’t give his approval easily. At heart Simon’s a big softie. He really likes him.”
In 2022, Sinitta tried her luck on Celebs Go Dating, but sensationally quit after failing to find someone. A year on, however, and she is besotted with her new man.
And while she’s keen to keep his identity a secret, she reveals that the pair have known each other for years.
She adds, “He was my best friend, and I tried to set him up with all my other friends because he’s such a great guy. And then I woke up one morning in bed with him, and it wasn’t weird at all. I thought, ‘This is really great, because I really like you anyway’. It’s just one of those things, and I feel free, happy and accepted. Your best friends see you without your make-up and when you’re not looking very glamorous. He’s seen me look my best and my worst, so we’ve already jumped through all those hurdles.”
While Sinitta rose to fame in her late teens, she’ll be turning 60 on 19 October. And despite menopause being a rough ride, she claims she’s feeling more liberated in her own skin – and between the sheets – than ever.
She explains, “With menopause, I thought I was dying, that my cooch was dead, and my life was over. And you know what? The vagina is not dead – it’s all still there. I feel like I’m finally learning what sex is! I think my generation grew up at a time where it was about pleasing men and being seen as someone who was pleasurable.
“And you know what, I’ve learnt that men actually have a better time when you’re genuinely happy, you don’t have to just feed their ego.”
As well as her music career, Sinitta has also worked as a model over the years, as well as famously appearing on The X Factor in 2009 with palm leaves covering her modesty.
But Sinitta now says that because she feels so happy and secure, she’s finally learning to let herself enjoy life a little more and is loving her new-found curves.
She says, “I’ve gained some weight – I don’t know how much, but I feel my clothes are a bit snug. I know there are so many women who are struggling and not feeling great about getting older. Some people get bigger when they’re happy, because they’re eating lots.
“I still take very good care of myself because I want to live forever – I’ve got lots to live for.”