Even with the loneliness of lockdown, some have managed to find love amid the pandemic (Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

Amid the sourdough starters, banana breads and PE with Joe workouts, lockdown has seen love blossom.

Despite the crushing isolation and stagnant social environment most of us found ourselves living with, new relationships escalated, Tinder dates turned into serious situations and broken hearts miraculously mended. You probably have a mate who met a bloke on Bumble in January and is now discussing potential dog names after being holed up together for four months.

But why is that? Why should such a distressing time have led to solid relationships rather than, say, an increase in breakups?

According to research by the relationships charity Relate and dating website Eharmony, lockdown has led to a wave of ‘turbo relationships’, in which relatively young relationships now feel like umpteen years of marriage.

In study of over 2,000 British adults, 58% said they now knew that they wanted to be with their partner forever after living together during lockdown and a similar number felt more committed in their relationship after weathering the pandemic storm together.

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Nurse Allie met her partner on Tinder in December and at the start of lockdown, decided to move in with him.