Bridget Zyka, who describes herself as sexually adventurous and easy on the eye, reveals in a personal essay that she spent years chasing the emotional high of new romance. Now a happily married mother of two, Zyka says she was a love addict who would travel far and wide for a chance encounter, wait hours for a text, and revamp her wardrobe for the next pursuit. The piece parallels Elizabeth Gilbert’s exploration of love addiction in her memoir All The Way To The River, with Zyka acknowledging that the pull persists even as life has changed. As told to Samantha Brick, Zyka recounts a past defined by the chase rather than the embrace of a lasting connection, while noting that the thrill still informs her life in subtle ways.
Her story traces the roots of her pattern to adolescence and a five-year relationship that began in her late teens, when she was drawn to the rush of being wanted. After university she entered London’s tech world and, at 26, moved to Canada on a work visa for a year. There, she dressed to showcase her figure and treated dating as a challenge to be won, often prioritising the pursuit over any long-term commitment. She recalls locking lips with a friend’s guy and speaking to men with lines like, “Would you like to be my first Canadian boyfriend?” Corny, yes, but the tactic often yielded the desired reaction: attention, validation, and the next potential conquest. In this period Zyka admits she kept multiple men in play—one in a relationship, another newly courted, and a third who might come along later—so there would always be a safety net when boredom returned.
A string of disruptive episodes followed. A Canadian conquest’s girlfriend called Zyka, demanding she leave the country; another man she charmed already had a long-term partner who grew furious at the indiscretion. The pattern persisted: the thrill of the chase eclipsed the possibility of lasting connection, and departures from one affair were often justified by the next impending pursuit. The turning point came when a Liam Hemsworth lookalike in Canada suggested he was leaving for New Zealand. Zyka followed, staging a dramatic exit from her life in Canada—giving up a flat and a job—only to end up sharing a New Zealand rental with the man for a few months before the relationship cooled. The emotional calculus remained messy, and she acknowledges the chaos she created along the way.
Back in London, Zyka’s path converged with Aldo, a meeting that would change everything. In Covent Garden, a pub encounter sparked a powerful attraction, and the two slept together on the first night. Less than a year later, they were married and would go on to have two sons. The arc of her romance story shifted: she no longer sought to consolidate every break of the heart into the next conquest, but she did not abandon her flirtatious edge. Today she describes herself as still drawn to the frisson of possibility, yet she maintains clearer boundaries and a more stable center within her marriage. The thrill, she says, keeps the marriage exhilarating—but it no longer dictates her life.
The essay frames this evolution as a maturation rather than a retreat from desire, suggesting that the past has informed a healthier relationship with risk and longing. Zyka posits that the energy of seeking new emotional experiences can coexist with a steady, loving partnership, provided there is self-awareness and accountability. She acknowledges that, as she grew older, the impulse to chase remained, but she chose to channel it differently—toward mutual growth with her husband rather than away from him.
The piece, attributed to an interview conducted by Samantha Brick, adds a candid portrait of how cultural expectations around sex, romance, and fidelity intersect with personal narratives of addiction and recovery. It also sits within a broader conversation about how public figures and private lives intersect in an era of amplified celebrity lifestyle scrutiny. Zyka’s reflections invite readers to consider how past patterns shape present relationships—and how honesty about desire can coexist with commitment.
In this portrait of a life once defined by the pursuit, Zyka offers a measured acknowledgment of the past while presenting a framework for living with intention in the present. The narrative does not aim to condemn the longing for novelty, but to understand its place in a mature, committed life. Whether the thrill persists as a private fascination or becomes a shared ritual with her husband, Zyka suggests that knowing where to draw the line is what ultimately sustains both desire and devotion.
As told to Samantha Brick