Jenna Backwell

24 year old socialite Jenna, can't sit still for more than 5 minutes and when she's not at work designing, spends all her free time meeting up with friends and traveling to far flung places.

What makes you a good friend?

I’ve always been a central point for my friendships. It’s usually me that contacts everyone so I find myself organising something almost everyday. I love my friends so I always put in a huge amount of effort to making them happy.

What has been the strangest circumstance in which you have met a friend?

In the toilets on a night out! I think everyone’s met someone that way at some point. I’ve also been lucky enough to travel and so I’ve met people all over the world and ended up getting close to them much quicker than I would at home. It’s the same with the Friendship Panel as well. None of us knew each other initially but it already feels like we’ve been together forever.

What makes your best friend special?

I have three very special friends that I couldn’t live without. The best thing about our friendship is that I know I can call any one of them at any time of the day or night and they will already know what’s wrong before I’ve even spoken. Friends like that are very rare.

What’s the Friendliest thing you’ve ever done for somebody?

When I was promoted at work, I was given the opportunity to hire someone to work with me. I immediately knew that my best friend (who’s also trained in design) would be the best person for the job. She was over the moon and accepted. It was obviously nice for her but maybe even nicer for me!

What qualities do you look for in a friend?

I can’t see myself being friends with someone who is judgemental. I like my friends to be understanding and supportive of any decision I make – even if they don’t necessarily agree with me. A good friend doesn’t have any expectations either.

What’s your Friends Reunited story?

My friends and I were talking one night about some of our old school friends. One boy’s name in particular kept coming up as he was the one that everyone fancied. None of us had heard from him since we left so I looked him up on Friends Reunited and we are now back in contact. He’s still as cute as he was!

How have your friends shaped who you are?

I’m definitely much more appreciative because of my friends as we are so close. I’m also a lot more outgoing than I would be if they weren’t around me as much.

What’s your view on the state of friendship in Britain today and how it has changed?

The opportunities to make friends are vast now. Social networking sites have taken a lot of the personal interaction out of friendships as you can just send a quick email rather than make a call or take a trip to their house. It also means that the number of friends you have increases quite a lot but at the same time, close friendships are not as common anymore.

Commenting on Friendship and Money:

"I definitely think that the small gestures are the ones that count. I would happily buy a friend a drink or dinner so we get to spend some quality time together.”