Michael Gove's wife Sarah Vine hails separate bedrooms as key to a happy marriage

Vine admitted to considering 'surrendering to the pillow and duvet' a more enticing prospect than a night of passion with 'even the most accomplished lover'.

Michael Gove and his wife, the Daily Mail journalist Sarah Vine (Rex)

Sarah Vine, the journalist and wife of Justice Secretary Michael Gove, has argued sleeping in the same bed as your partner is a "very bad idea".

In a column for the Daily Mail entitled, "Sorry chaps but women love sleep FAR more than sex", the wife of the Conservative MP, with whom she has two children, wrote in favour of the Victorian tradition of separate bedrooms. Referring to sex as "quite impractical", Vine explained how occupying the same bed is often "unsatisfactory for both parties" and compared the marital bed to "a battleground for the duvet".

The wife of the Lord Chancellor and former Times beauty editor admitted to considering "surrendering to the pillow and duvet", a more enticing prospect than a night of passion with "even the most accomplished lover".

The comments written in Vine’s weeklycolumn have received significant Twitter attention, with users revelling in the seeming portrayal of the Justice Secretary as an unsatisfactory lover. One tweeter commented that Sarah Vine’s attitude to sex is, “unsurprising from the woman who is married to Michael Gove”.

Others were critical of her exposure of personal details:

Vine concluded by advising male readers to consider choosing silk pyjamas for a romantic Christmas present, as opposed to a “Myleene Klass-style negligee”. According to the columnist, such a gift is "much more effective of heartfelt love and understanding" than the provocative alternative.