Self-confessed cougar Janice Richards may be nearing the end of her sixth decade, but the party-loving 57-year-old insists she has no qualms about dating men half her age.

Twice-divorced Janice, from Enfield, north London says she's had her fill of podgy, balding men in their fifties who only offer her bad sex and baggage.

These days, she only dates men in their twenties and early thirties - and scours the internet using the screen name Cubhunter to find them.

Party-loving Janice, from Enfield, north London says she's had her fill of podgy, balding men who only offer her bad sex and baggage. She started online dating after her second divorce

'I know what I want and I'm not willing to compromise,' Janice said. 'Why would I settle for someone my age when I know I can pull a 21-year-old?

'I know what good sex is and I know what bad sex is. Many younger men want experience and my age and confidence give them that, and I feel very good knowing this young guy thinks I'm hot.

'There's nothing wrong with having a toyboy.'

After two failed marriages and the devastating loss of both her son and daughter, Janice decided she wouldn't let any age keep her from doing the things she wanted.

'I rushed into my first marriage back in 1979,' the senior manager said. 'He was four years older than me and my rebel choice.

Despite pushing 60, Janice insists, 'I spend time when I can clubbing and dancing, which I guess isn't what most women nearing 60 do. But it keeps me healthier and happier'

'I fell pregnant, and when my son Brendan was born with disabilities he was no help at all. We divorced and I married my second husband Dave* a few years later.

'We had a daughter, Shanelle, in 1990 but she tragically died from an infection at only a year old.

'We were devastated and it broke our marriage apart. We split and I moved away to start a new life.'

It was during this time that Janice started online dating. She opened a Yahoo messenger account and was stunned at the amount of young men that contacted her asking her out.

'When I first started I remember thinking my God, they are younger than my son,' she said.

Janice with one of her toyboys. She says, 'Why would I settle for someone my age when I know I can pull a 21-year-old?'

Janice, who loves hitting clubs on the weekend, decided she wouldn't let age keep her from doing the things she wanted following two failed marriages and the loss of her son children

'I wouldn't consider anyone in his early twenties it was just too young for me at the time. I was in my forties so it was still a substantial age difference.

'But after Brendan died on 10 February 2001 that barrier in my mind just disappeared and I began to date men in their early twenties.

'One night I was dancing the night away at a club with my friends when I bumped into this super fit bloke and the chemistry was electric.

'We ended up snogging on the dance floor and exchanged numbers. I asked his age and he said he was 21 years old!

'I was chuffed and what I thought would just be a fling turned into a two-year relationship.'

Janice says of her love life, 'I learned quickly was that a toyboy doesn't want a perfect body. He wants an experienced woman who knows what she wants and can share that with him'

Seasoned professional: Janice started online dating in the 1990s. She opened a messenging account and was stunned at the amount of young men that contacted her asking her out

Once Janice's appetite for toyboys began, she joined online dating website www.ToyBoyWarehouse.com.

'One of my screen names is cubhunter because in our world a cub is a man who wants an older woman,' she said.

'People say it's because they want a mother figure but what I do with a toyboy is not mothering.'

And nearly ten years later saucy Janice has a more active dating calendar than most twentysomethings - but despite receiving hundreds of messages from men, she has a strict criteria before she'll agree to a date.

'I love tall men, over six-foot, with dark hair and fit bodies,' she said. 'Sporty men who keep themselves fit in the gym are a turn on.

Speaking about her online dating profile, Janice says, 'One of my screen names is cubhunter because in our world a cub is a man who wants an older woman'

'But I have to chat with them for a while before I'll meet face to face. We need to be able to hold a conversation too. They can't only be a good body with no brain. I'm not on the toyboy websites just for sex.

'I'm not interested in no strings attached sex or booty calls. There needs to be a bit more than that.

'And so many men tell me that they were too scared to approach older women until they started using the website.'

And although dating a younger man does have its perks, Janice admits there have been a few terrible encounters she chalks up to age.

Confident: While many women over 50 would be petrified to take their clothes off in front of a man in his prime with a body like a Greek god, Janice says it is the best confidence boost

'Once I was waiting for my date to meet me so we could go to the pub for a drink,' she recalled.

'He called to say he was running late and to push it back an hour, but I could hear people in the background.

'I asked how he was making his way over and he answered... by bus. Nearly two hours later he finally turned up and I just thought, this one is definitely a child. Needless to say there was no second date.'

And although Janice's family and friends don't completely understand her need to be with men less than half her age, they support her.

'Most of my friends are younger than me,' she added. 'I've always had a young outlook on life.

'I work hard all week and spend time when I can clubbing and dancing, which I guess isn't what most women nearing 60 do. But it keeps me healthier and happier.'

'We need to be able to hold a conversation,' Janice says of her ideal man. 'They can't only be a good body with no brain. I'm not on the toyboy websites just for sex'

And while many women over 50 would be petrified to take their clothes off in front of a man in his prime with a body like a Greek god, Janice says it is the best confidence boost.

'At first when I started speaking to these men I had concerns,' she said. 'You don't look the same with your clothes off and I didn't want to put myself out there because I haven't got a perfect body and have never had work done.

'But what I learned quickly was that a toyboy doesn't want a perfect body. He wants an experienced woman who knows what she wants and can share that with him.

'And when you reach my age and can have that kind of connection with someone and then see him look at you with want in his eyes well let me tell you that's the best buzz.'