Blog: I envy Tim Burton, Ben Bentley admits. And not just because his partner is Helena Bonham Carter.

Okay, there is that, but no, I envy Tim for another reason: he has the presence of mind to actually live apart from her.

As it is, it seems that Burton and Bonham Carter have become the poster kids for a new generation of couples dubbed ‘live apart-ners’ – lovebirds who maintain separate nests because they believe it keeps their relationship special.

According to a new study published today there has been a 40 per cent increase in this trend in the UK over the last 10 years.

To the outsider looking in, the Bonham Carter/ Burton world looks something like this. . . Tim and Helena (we’re on first name terms, see) are an item, and a glamorous one at that, but maintain two properties next door to one another in London.

Imagine the benefits of that.

I do.

Imagine you’re being Tim Burton for just a moment, as you do. You have just run out of sugar and your first solution is to pop round next door to see the missus and tap her up for some Tate and Lyle.

“While you’re here Tim (great, she hasn’t noticed you are not actually Tim, only someone who imagines he’s Tim), can you fix the plug on my washing machine? It seems to have blown a fuse while I was giving all my fancy period costumes the once over.”

So there you are, fixing Helena Bonham Carter’s plug without the worry and stress of having to live with her, but still feeling like you are her knight in shining armour with your impressive range of 13-Amp fuses.

Frankly it’s a fairytale story, but one that could leave us living happily ever after.

For example, when you have a row with your squeeze you don’t have to storm out and wander the streets for hours thinking about where to go next. You just go home.

I’m seeing the live apart-ners scenario as being the best of both worlds: you get to experience all the benefits of living with Helen Bonham Carter but without the stress of worrying about who owns the TV remote control.

And at the end of the night you get to go home and have a bag of chips on the way.

• Are you a live apart-ner? What are the benefits? Contact Ben Bentley on 01952 242424 or email benbentley@shropshirestar.co.uk