Rebecca Cooper

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

My best friend Jo without a doubt! I’ve been taught never to mix business with pleasure but that went out the window with Jo. I work in recruitment and Jo was a candidate of mine. We knew immediately that we had clicked but had to keep the relationship professional. I managed to find her a great job and we’ve been best friends ever since.

What makes your best friend special?

I genuinely love everything about her. She’s fun, spontaneous and above all we’re very similar. We are both very ambitious and understand the constraints that can put on friendships. Jo recently moved to America for work but that hasn’t affected our friendship at all.

What qualities do you look for in a friend?

I’m a very loyal person and would expect my friends to be the same. It also helps if they are honest and open as the best friendships are those built on trust. Integrity is also extremely important to me.

What’s your Friends Reunited story?

I joined back in 2000 so have been using the site pretty much since its inception. In that time I’ve used it to contact several old friends and even some family members. The biggest success for me personally however was the moment that I found my father after 19 years. Without the site, I doubt the reunion would have taken place.

How have your friends shaped who you are?

One of the best things that my friends do is tell me when I’m wrong. It might be that I’m wearing something awful to the fact that I’ve misjudged someone else. I trust them completely and so their guidance and opinions matter a great deal to me. I’m sure I’m a less judgemental person because of it.

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

I think that friendship has definitely changed over the last few years specifically. It’s so much easier to form and re-kindle friendships now than ever before. I would question how strong these friendships are though.