'Positive illusion' helps lovers overlook partner's features

Looks like love is blind when it comes to looks and attractive features.

According to experts, lovers overlook beer bellies, bingo wings and big noses because they think their other halves are more attractive than they really are.

Groningen University experts in Holland, who quizzed 70 young couples for the study, also said that people in a relationship let themselves go because partners tend to see only the pleasant things in them.

This "positive illusion", as experts call it, could explain celebrities mismatches such as Beyonce, 29, and Jay-Z, 41, and Lara Stone, 27, and comedian David Walliams, 29.

"Positive illusions may enhance a young couple's sense of security, thus stabilising their long- term bond," the Daily Star quoted one researcher as saying.