Sun Online
By LOUISE COMPTON



WITH their respectable jobs, expensive clothes and mansion in a well-to-do London suburb, Richard Stanley and Janet Harrison don’t fit the typical swinger stereotype.

Swinging superstars ...Richard Stanley and Janet Harrison

But thanks to a TV documentary, The Real Wife Swap, the couple have become the public faces of the British partner-swapping scene.

Amazingly, management consultant Richard 56, and Harley Street medical assistant Janet, 48, regularly host romp fests in their eight-bedroom home which boasts a 500sq ft sex dungeon.

The shocking documentary, to be broadcast on UKTV on Monday, sees the couple preparing for more than 100 swingers to arrive for an evening of no-strings-attached recreational sex.

In an exclusive interview Richard revealed: “People often say we don’t look like swingers but it just makes us wonder what people actually expect swingers to look like.

“We’re not flamboyant people and we don’t swing with flamboyant people.

“The people who come to our parties are social workers, judges, solicitors and lots of police officers.

“I often think the more responsible people are, the brighter they are. And the brighter they are, the more honed their sexuality is. There’s certainly a correlation.

“The average age is about 34 but it’s difficult to tell because people who are sexually vibrant tend to look a lot younger.

“It’s intriguing that the people who come along aren’t ugly or fat. We don’t ask to see pictures of guests before they arrive.”

Richard and Janet host monthly parties at their Radlett home. They usually attract couples but singles are also catered for.

Richard revealed: “The parties are fairly adventurous. Some people prefer threesomes and other people prefer two on two.

“Couples tend to lose their inhibitions very quickly, most people’s nervousness evaporates within about half an hour of arriving.

“A lot of people call us up first and tell us they’ve never done it before and ask for advice.

“Janet generally has a chat with them on the phone and reassures them and then it’s sorted.

“First time swingers usually start out on the nursery slope downstairs where guests can mingle and chat.

“It’s great fun, even if you’re not having sex, because we always have a pig roast, a disco and a dance floor.

“Swinging parties aren’t the same as orgies. Orgies are all about sex, whereas at our parties about 20 per cent of people don’t have sex at all.

“In fact, a lot of the event takes the structure of a normal party.

"If a couple choose to remain downstairs there’s a 99 per cent chance the experience won’t be any different than any other party they’ve attended."

He adds: “Yes, we have a sex dungeon but people enter it of their own accord. Couples usually negotiate with each other and then go up together - it’s not random selection."

Since the documentary was first broadcast last summer, Richard and Janet have become local celebrities.

Richard says: “We’ve both been recognised. I was actually chatting to someone at a seminar this morning and when I said I lived in Radlett he replied: ‘Oh you’re not the swinger are you?’

“We’ve not had a negative reaction from anyone, no-one has been disdainful.

“After all, there’s no reason why well-to-do, well shod, professional people shouldn’t be having recreational sex.

“The attitude of the neighbours is: ‘For god’s sake don’t stop having the parties, it’s the only interesting thing going on round here and we’ll have nothing left to talk about.’

“Funnily enough, since the programme went out we’ve had lots more local people turning up at our parties!"

Richard and Janet, a couple of 10 years, are adamant swinging is good for their relationship.

Romp fest ... parties attract hundreds of swingers

He told us: “I’ve never been jealous about Janet sleeping with other men. I met her at a swinging party after all.

“Recreational sex can bond relationships rather than destroy them. Just look at the rich and famous, they’re are all doing it now.

“I don’t think there’s one person in existence who doesn’t have thoughts about having sex outside of their own relationship.

“They can either keep it to themselves and eventually commit adultery or talk about it and swing together. The latter is infinitely preferable.

He adds: “My father once said to me: ‘If there’s any risk of you being ashamed of doing something – don’t do it.’

“We think very hard about what we do and we don’t do anything we’re ashamed of.”