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By 2037, there will be more babies in the UK born to parents who met online compared to those who met offline, new research suggests.
According to a study conducted by the Imperial College Business School, 40 per cent of babies born within the next decade will be “e-babies”, meaning those born to parents who met on a dating app or website.
The predictions are published in the Future of Dating report, which was compiled based on data from dating platform eHarmony and current birth projections from the Office for National Statistics.
The report also found nearly one in three (32 per cent) relationships that started between 2015 and 2019 began online, compared to just one in five (19 per cent) between 2005 and 2014.
Researchers predict that these figures will increase dramatically by 2030, when they estimate that more than half of relationships formed will have begun online.
Show all 19 1 /19Couples on the Met Gala 2019 red carpet Couples on the Met Gala 2019 red carpet Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union The couples matched in matching Dundas on the red carpet. The actress wore a floor-length cardigan on top of the dress, which featured a high slit in the middle to show off her black high heels. Meanwhile, her husband wore a headpiece and black suit that matched Union’s bejewelled look.
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Couples on the Met Gala 2019 red carpet Tom Brady and Gisele Budchen The pair wore matching shades of pink on the red carpet. Bündchen looked chic in a pleated metallic pink gown by Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri. Meanwhile, the sportsman wore a velvet dark pink tuxedo.
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Couples on the Met Gala 2019 red carpet Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz The couple contrasted with the light pink red carpet in matching green ensembles. Keys wore a hooded light green sequined dress for the occasion while her beau wore a dark green tuxedo jacket and black trousers.
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Couples on the Met Gala 2019 red carpet Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez The newly-engaged couple stunned on the pink carpet. Lopez arrived with her fiancé in a silver sequined-encrusted dress with a deep V-neck plunge and matching headpiece. Meanwhile, Rodriguez wore a pink suit.
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Couples on the Met Gala 2019 red carpet Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner The pair looked like they’d just stepped out of a video game, with Jenner donning a purple wig and sheer lavender-coloured dress by Versace for the occasion. The reality star’s ensemble featured matching coloured feathered sleeves, while her boyfriend wore a brown and black Dior military-inspired suit.
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Couples on the Met Gala 2019 red carpet Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner The newly-married couple attended their first Met Gala together this year. The Game of Thrones star wore a Louis Vuitton two-piece ensemble, which had the appearance of a jumpsuit, with an oversized belt. Jonas, meanwhile, coordinated with his wife’s look in a black suit that featured multi-coloured embelishments.
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Couples on the Met Gala 2019 red carpet Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas Chopra looked every inch as regal as she did on her wedding day to Nick Jonas last year in this stunning silver Dior Haute Couture gown at the Gala. the dress featured feathered ruffles and a matching cape, and was paired with a silver crown and Chopard jewellery. Standing by her side was Jonas, who wore a white Dior Men tuxedo, Chopard jewellery and silver Christian Louboutin shoes.
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Couples on the Met Gala 2019 red carpet James Corden and Julia Carey The presenter and his wife matched in black and baby pink at the Gala. The comedian teamed his look with a matching neck tie, waist coat and patent black dress shoes.
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Couples on the Met Gala 2019 red carpet Kim Kardashian and Kanye West Kim Kardashian-West and her husband caused a frenzy on the red carpet. The reality star wore a nude ensemble designed by Mugler, while her husband wore a black jacket and trousers. "This is the first time in 20 years that Mr. Mugler has designed for the House of Thierry Mugler," the media mogul told E! News' Zuri Hall on E!'s Live From the Red Carpet at the Met Gala.
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Couples on the Met Gala 2019 red carpet Megalyn Echikunwoke and Chris Rock The duo posed side-by-side a pose on the Met Gala stairs. Echikunwoke wore a textured terracotta-coloured patterned dress for the occasion which featured a high neck and cascading mini dress that ran into an elongated train. Meanwhile, her beau kept things simple in a black tuxedo.
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Couples on the Met Gala 2019 red carpet Zoe Saldana and Marco Perego The pair channelled disco glamour on the pink carpet at the event. The couple, who have been married for six years, looked effortlessly chid as Saldana teamed her sequined rust-coloured dress by Michael Kors with a matching necktie, sequinned satin clutch, snakeskin platform heels, and purple embellished glowers in her hair. Her husband, meanwhile, kept it causal in a black tuxedo with an open-collared white shirt.
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Couples on the Met Gala 2019 red carpet Charles Melton and Camila Mendes Riverdale's Camila Mendes and Charles Melton attended their first Met Gala together this evening. Mendes wore a yellow feathered Prabal Gurung gown with a light blue bow tied around the back while her beau complemented her look in a dark Sies Marjan suit.
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Couples on the Met Gala 2019 red carpet Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth The pair made their Met Gala pink carpet debut in coordinating looks. The singer wore a Saint Laurent sequin striped dress with a pair of sheer black dotted patterned leggings. Meanwhile, her husband wore a black suit that matched his wife’s outfit, perfectly.
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Couples on the Met Gala 2019 red carpet Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter turned things up a notch in their matching ensembles. The actor didn’t hold back in his all-white suit and fedora, while his wife donned a strapless lilac-hued dress with oversized billowing sleeves.
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Couples on the Met Gala 2019 red carpet Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart The Riverdale pair might have looked like they’d stepped from the pages of a children’s novel at tonight’s gala but their outfits surely packed a sartorial punch. Reinhart wore a blue strapless romper dress with oversized sleeves and a long train, while her beau wore a matching red sleeveless suit jacket and trousers that featured a floral motif.
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Couples on the Met Gala 2019 red carpet Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian Williams stole the show on the night in a pair of neon yellow Nike trainers designed by Virgil Abloh and a bright yellow Versace floral-printed dress. She walked the red carpet with her husband of two years, who wore a black and white tuxedo.
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Couples on the Met Gala 2019 red carpet Baz Luhrmann, left, and Catherine Martin Director Baz Luhrmann and his wife Catherine Martin matched in various shades of pink. Martin’s look capitalised on the night’s biggest trend –feathers – with the detailing featuring on the hem of her cuff and trouser legs.
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Couples on the Met Gala 2019 red carpet Tommy Hilfiger and Dee Hilfiger Tommy Hilfiger and Dee Ocleppo showed their patriotic side, dressed in a stars and striped motif inspired by the US flag.
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Couples on the Met Gala 2019 red carpet Kris Jenner and Corey Gamble Jenner looked almost unrecognisable in a blonde wig at the event, dressed in a custom jumpsuit and jacket from Tommy Hilfiger. Her partner, Corey Gamble, coordinated with Jenner’s look in a matching blue tuxedo.
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Dr Paolo Taticchi, principal teaching fellow at Imperial College Business School, said: “The digital world has streamlined the online dating process – making it easier to find someone while ensuring that they match your criteria.
“2035 will be an instrumental year for finding love and begin a new era of 21st century dating.”
The findings follow a similar study into online dating conducted by dating app Badoo, which looked at the kinds of people who are most successful on its platform.
By looking at 5,000 of its users, researchers found that honesty is one of the most attractive traits online, with “living with parents” among the most right-swiped characteristics.
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