Dear Jo,

My female best friend is 30 and, although we're very close, she never shares anything with me about her love life or relationships. I tell her everything about my life and it really annoys me that she keeps this part of her life secret from me.

When I ask if she's been out with anyone or met anyone nice, she says she "doesn't do relationships", but one of our other friends saw her recently in a restaurant with a guy and they were clearly on a date.

I find it really frustrating because I think friendship should mean being completely open and honest. But when I try to talk to her about it, she shuts down and says she doesn't want to discuss it. How should I handle the situation? Harita, 31, Sheffield

Jo says:

I've got lots of friends of all shapes and sizes, and of every orientation and persuasion. Over the years, I've learned that the key to being a good friend is accepting people for who they are and not trying to turn them into someone else.

Us girls have a terrible habit of being nosy about each other's sex lives and relationships - we love a good gossip about what everyone else has been getting up to between the sheets. However, if someone doesn't feel comfortable talking about that sort of thing, then just drop it. It's cruel to keep pushing them for information they obviously don't want to share.

While it can be nice to hear about your friend's relationships, if she doesn't want to discuss it then it's none of your business. If she wants to talk about this sort of thing, it's up to her - it's not for you to drag it out of her.

If you're a good friend, you'll accept she's clearly not comfortable chatting about sex and relationships, for whatever reason, and leave it at that.