If you told most people you had multiple romantic partners they might call you many words, and sadly, despite it becoming more mainstream in recent years, 'polyamorous' might be one of the last.
Polyamory - the consensual practice of multiple simultaneous romantic relationships - is nothing new. It was recorded among the Ancient Greeks and even much earlier, and in more recent years has been recognised as part of the pride movement, allowing many to achieve a freedom over companionship they couldn't in a monogamous partnership.
Jess, in her late thirties, was engaged to her partner when she realised she polyamory was for her, years after she became aware of it via friend when she was younger. Jess, who lives and works in Liverpool, asked not to identified as though she believes attitiudes are improving, stigma still exists around the practice.
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She told the ECHO: "I actually had a good friend from quite a young age who practiced a form of non-monogamy. I've always been quite an open person, but at the time I was like 'it's not for me'.
"When I was quite young I saw myself as very much monogamous, but I started to have eyes for other people. In my head I was like 'oh no, I don't love my partner anymore' - which wasn't true."
Jess entered a long-term relationship with a man who would go on to be her fiance in around 2010, and it was years later when he began a conversation about "opening up" their relationship "on a purely sexual basis originally" a eureka moment was sparked.
She said: "I remember the conversation being a bit of a eureka moment for me. I asked them if it was because they had no experience with anyone else and wanted to experience bits of life with other people - they said yes.
"I just remember in that exact moment thinking I don't want to be the reason they couldn't go out and be themselves and experience their lives in the way they wanted to experience it."
Jess and her partner then began to open up their relationship. However, she would soon learn one of the most important parts of a polyamorous relationship - honesty and communication.
She said: "It soon became obvious that [my partner] wasn't into it at all. M y partner at the time was quite insistent it was what they wanted, but when the reality hit, it didn't go well - which is a very common thing that happens, I believe, especially to people new to it.
"One thing that tends to be a running theme throughout the many forms of polyamory is that you've got to be honest, not just with other people but yourself. If you're not honest with yourself about what you actually want, then you can't be honest with anyone else."
She added: "I'm very open about my polyamory, I mean, I don't even know someone who has met a new partner not on a dating apps in the last five or 10 years. I've been on them for a long time and I've actually taken myself off most of them as they're proving to be so unsuccessful.
"I'm only on one at the moment which started off - funnily enough, given the fact poly people are always defending themselves against getting called swingers - as originally an app designed for people to find people looking for others who were interested in group sex, which then turned into more of a kink-based dating app.
"It's, in turn, become a poly dating app as the kink-community and the ethical non-monogamy (another term used for polyamory) community cross over quite a lot."
Jess said apps like this make it easier for her to have an open conversation about entering into a poly relationship, unlike other dating apps.
She added: "On all of my dating profiles it's up front and centre, it's like 'I'm polyamorous, this could not be exclusive.' There's no hiding it."
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