Candace Bushnell likes to date guys of "all different ages"

Writing for The Observer, she said: "I dated a 21-year-old and a 91-year-old in the same week. I go out with guys of all different ages. I'm not having sex with these people, but I do like going to dinner with them. Younger guys ask a lot of questions; the older men only talk about themselves.

The 'Carrie Diaries' author - who divorced ballet dancer Charles Askegard in 2012 after a decade of marriage in what she called a "terrible split" - also insisted that it is impossible to "rely" on a relationship as a meal ticket/

She said: "When it comes to sex there's no such thing as a free lunch. Another lesson is that you can't rely on a relationship for your happiness or a roof over your head."

Candace also admitted that she has "no idea" where she is heading in years to come but expects her next few decades will be defined by her health status.

She said: "I have no idea what the future holds. What defines that is how healthy I end up being.

"People have very different trajectories when they're in their 60s. Some people end up with cancer and that's it. But I have friends with mothers well into their 90s. You just don't know."