Like most married couples with two children, Natalie and Tom Beard (pictured), from York, find their days occupied by work and childcare

A ‘normal’ husband and wife who wanted to ‘spice up their fizzled out sex life’ have opened up about their decision to take part in a threesome on Channel 4’s Open House: The Great Sex Experiment.

Like most married couples with two children, Natalie and Tom Beard, from York, find their days occupied by work and childcare.

Natalie, 33, has a job grooming horses, and spends any free time she has horse riding and show jumping, while Tom, 36, is an electrical technician for a local firm and enjoys a spot of mountain biking when he gets the chance. 

They have two children – one aged 10 and one six, who they don’t wish to name and Natalie insists: ‘We are just a normal couple, a completely average family.’

So why then, you may ask, did they choose to appear on Open House: The Great Sex Experiment and have a threesome with a stranger live on TV? Here, they exclusively tell FEMAIL about their decision.

Like most married couples with two children, Natalie and Tom Beard (pictured), from York, find their days occupied by work and childcare

Like most married couples with two children, Natalie and Tom Beard (pictured), from York, find their days occupied by work and childcare 

The controversial Channel Four Show, now in its second season, has left viewers shocked by its explicit boldness.

It involves couples and singles having sex in a secret location over the course of a weekend, all watched over by a sex therapist Dr Lori Bisbey, from Edinburgh, who says she has ‘seen it all’.

This year, the show, which has eight episodes, has already attracted attention for its 15-person orgy.

After watching it, one viewer on Twitter wrote: ‘I hope someone comes in and gives that room a deep clean before anyone else sleeps in there’. Another wrote: ‘What is mad is these people have kids ….and their kids are gonna see this.’

But the main bulk of the show is loving and committed couples who have been together a while trying out a threesome.

This is was what Natalie and Tom, who feature in tonight’s episode, found themselves doing – chiefly, she explains, to bring some excitement back into their sex life.

Natalie says: ‘We’ve been together for 13 years, five of them married. Life is hectic. You have the kids and work, you’re busy making dinner, and you’re tired.

‘Our sex life had just fizzled out and we wanted to improve our relationship. We’re not sex mad and would never do anything in our family home.

Natalie, 33, has a job grooming horses, and spends any free time she has horse riding and show jumping, while Tom, 36, is an electrical technician for a local firm and enjoys a spot of mountain biking when he gets the chance

Natalie, 33, has a job grooming horses, and spends any free time she has horse riding and show jumping, while Tom, 36, is an electrical technician for a local firm and enjoys a spot of mountain biking when he gets the chance 

The couple spent two nightS on the show and had one threesome with Precious Muir, who was also on season one

The couple spent two nightS on the show and had one threesome with Precious Muir, who was also on season one

‘But we just wanted a bit of excitement to spice things up and make us feel new again, and this seemed like a safe place to experiment.’

Like many working couples, Natalie and Tom find themselves collapsed on the sofa together most evenings watching TV – and this is where their unusual story begins.

Natalie says: ‘We watched the first season of Open House together last year and began talking about our fantasies. Neither of us wanted to sleep with anyone on our own, but we both liked the idea of a threesome.

‘Half-heatedly, and just for a bit of fun, we applied for the second season but never thought we’d get on as we were just so average and ordinary.’

Part of the appeal of the show, Natalie explains matter-of-factly, is that it is difficult to organise a threesome in everyday life.

She says: ‘It’s still quite a taboo, and you can’t really just ask someone you know. It just doesn’t come up at the school gates.’   

After being selected, the couple felt nervous but excited.  Worried about how it would effect them and their relationship and how people would view them, they told only a few select friends. 

Then despite having second thoughts, they decided to commit – staying two nights at the house in a secret location in Herefordshire last September.

The couple decided to go on Open House after watching the first season together and talking about their fantasies

The couple decided to go on Open House after watching the first season together and talking about their fantasies 

Tom and Natalie Beard, of York, have been together for 13 years but wanted to experiment with another woman

Tom and Natalie Beard, of York, have been together for 13 years but wanted to experiment with another woman

Natalie says: ‘It was intense. Lots of stuff goes on that you don’t see on camera. They film all the interactions and bedrooms.  We were quite excited and it was nice to get glammed up.’

However, the transition into an exciting sexual act did not go as smoothly as planned.

Natalie says: ‘It was a bit overwhelming to be honest. We are quite sheltered but here were lots of couples and singles who were into this on a regular basis. We were nervous we didn’t fit in as we are so average and normal.’ 

As the first night progressed, and people began kissing, Natalie and Tom didn’t partake, feeling too awkward. 

She adds: ‘We didn’t know who to pick. We needed a sexual connection. And we just wanted to be ourselves.   There were also limits on what we could drink, so we weren’t all that relaxed.’

The second night, though, was more of a success. Natalie says: ‘There was a woman there, Precious, who had been in the first series. We spotted her and were immediately drawn to her. 

‘At first, we had a conversation about life and work and how long we’d been together. Then Precious took us along to a yurt where it was a bit more private.’

Precious Muir, 38, from London, then eased them into the situation by kissing them both. This apparently helped break the ice. 

Natalie explains that one of her biggest concerns was that Tom would find the other person more attractive than her. But Precious put her at ease, telling her how pretty she was.

‘She was really relaxed and put us at ease,’ Natalie says. ‘It didn’t seem like a competition. We both found her really attractive, which was important.’

After they began kissing, they then ended up in bed, enjoying the moment but also aware they were being filmed.

Natalie says: ‘We tried to keep things as much under the duvet as possible. Three is an odd number so I was worried someone would be left out, but it worked okay.

Tom and Natalie say having the threesome actually made their relationship stronger

Tom and Natalie say having the threesome actually made their relationship stronger

‘I had never been with a woman before and was intrigued to find out if I would find it sexual, but I did. I guess I knew what to do as I have the same parts myself. And although it was strange being filmed, it actually made it more exciting.’

Tom adds: ‘To me, it was more about seeing those two together. I would have happily just sat there and watched but I did in the end get involved.’

After they had all had sex, Tom lay in the middle, both women cuddled up to him on either side, quietly beaming. A day later, they left the house – pleased they had accomplished what they set out to do.

Interestingly, the couple say that their relationship is much stronger since their experiment.

Tom says: ‘We’re always a strong couple, but this has made us stronger. We have this event now that we’ve bonded over, we can relive the moment together.’

They have even kept in touch with Precious, who has sent Natalie some hair extensions.

And what have people in the wider world thought about their exploits being filmed and paraded on TV?

Natalie says: ‘The children were a massive worry. That’s why we did it at when they were at primary school, and before they had phones, so they won’t stumble across it on the internet.

‘Some parents know at the school but no none seems to have told them, thankfully.’ 

And what about wider family? Tom says: ‘I think my parents know we are adults.’ While Natalie adds: ‘Mine have said they won’t be watching it.’

But they have been surprised by the amount of support they have had from people they know. Tom says: ‘I thought people would judge us more, but people have actually been supportive.’

Natalie agrees, saying: ‘Yes, my friends have said we were brave. I think they respect us for doing it.’

They both feel that they would like to do this again, but don’t know how. And they think there is too much taboo surrounding couples wanting to have sex with an outside interest.

Tom says: ‘There is now so much support for the LGBTQ+ community, which is good. But if a committed couple want to do something like this, it is still often frowned upon.

‘We would never have affairs and cheat on each other, but we were happy to do this together so why should it be a problem?’

Natalie adds: ‘I completely agree. I can imagine lots of couples want to do this. It’s a way to bring some fun to your life while strengthening your relationship. And to those who judge it, I say “don’t knock it until you’ve tried it”.’

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