(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

Sliding into the DMs has a bad rep. Probably because a lot of DM sliders are massive creeps.

But can DM sliding ever lead to an actual relationship?

After all, most of us bear more resemblance to our real selves on social media than when we’re trying to put out best foot forward on dating sites. So, if you like the look of someone’s social media profile, maybe sliding into their DMs isn’t such a bad idea.

We spoke to people who met their partners this way to find out how it worked out for them.


Nate, 40, teacher, Essex

I saw a girl on Instagram. I was friends with her sister-in-law, so she’d crop up on my feed a lot. She was really attractive, very stylish, but really witty and intelligent too. I’d see her commenting on threads and stuff. And being tagged in photos too.



I sent her a DM. I decided to just be polite, nothing creepy or sleezy, and see what happened.

It turned out we had lots in common. She was great in real life, really good company. Although she was younger than I thought. It turned out I was 15 years older than her! She was 23 and I was 38.

Unfortunately, we were only together for about four to five months. I had some pretty bad problems with health, work and my ex. It was a shame as it was going really well, but I got very stressed and that affected things.

I think meeting people on social media allows for a different first impression, because they don’t see your dating profile first, they see a wider view of your life. A lot of people pretend to be something they’re not on dating sites. I like to think that I am who I say I am, and you can see that once you get to know me. If you’re a genuine, nice guy, it can be hard to put that across sometimes.

Steven (right) with his husband on their wedding day (Picture: Steven Whiting)

Steven Whiting, 33, social media manager, London

I met my partner eight years ago and we got married last year. We actually started following each other through a Follow Friday on Twitter, we got to know each other over replying to each other’s content. We slid into each other’s DMs when he said he was in London one weekend and if any of his followers fancied a drink.

When we first met, I loved his unique look and style and when we started talking, it was like we’d known each other for a long time.

The original impression I’d had of him from online was pretty accurate, he was very honest and realistic in his tweets.

I think Twitter is better than meeting people through dating apps. People are more genuine and share more about themselves. You get to know their personality more than just their looks.

Helen with her husband on their wedding day. (Picture: Helen Walters)

Helen Walters, 49, short story writer, Scotland

My husband and I first actually met in early 2012 after chatting on Twitter for a few months. Then we got married in 2014. It was a while ago now, but as far as I remember, we met from chatting to the same people on Twitter because we have common interests in writing.

I think by the time we met, I felt I knew him quite well, both from chatting on Twitter and reading his books. But then when you meet someone in real life you get all the other things like how their voice sounds and their mannerisms, so it’s never exactly what you imagine from an online interaction.



I often say to people, ‘You should try Twitter, it worked for me’, but I’m not sure how well it would work if you were actively looking or trying to use it like a dating site. I think I was just incredibly lucky. I know there are other couples who’ve also met via Twitter. I don’t know any of them personally, but every now and then I spot one!

Claire with her partner who she met on Twitter. (Picture: Claire)

Claire, 44, airline manager, Durham

I met my partner on Twitter. He’s a journalist and I started following him when he was live tweeting a court case I was following. He followed me back and we had a few tweets backwards and forwards which became more flirty, and then he DM’d me.

It was all a bit secretive at first as I was actually married, so I took a huge risk but nearly seven years later, we’re still together.

I was literally drawn to him – it sounds weird, I know! We chatted for a few weeks over Twitter before we actually met. I got the impression he was fun, and a bit of a romantic. But very, very flirty.

It was bizarre how quickly things escalated from a couple of flirty tweets to DMs. I was intrigued that he was a journalist. Plus, once I saw a few more photos I also really fancied him.

I guess the difference with how we met and online dating was we weren’t looking for someone at the time, and literally just became attracted to each other by looks, tweets and messages and it led from there. Neither of us was actively trying to find anyone.

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