SIR Michael Caine and his wife Shakira have always looked like the perfect couple.

At 81, he has an impressive history of hit films and a fine line in self-deprecation which has kept him a favourite with the public. She is a former model and actress with the kind of beauty that seems to have improved with age.

Interestingly, he has just revealed the “secret” of his happy marriage, saying: “Never share a bathroom with your wife, otherwise you’ll have a tiny corner with a razor and a toothbrush in it.”

That’s a telling observation, if not very practical for the majority of couples who don’t have a bathroom each. That premise might well work for the Caines but I suspect that, in more modern couples, the woman hasn’t bagged the most space with all her lotions and potions.

Now that it’s OK for men to moisturise, more and more of them have full sets of exfoliators, astringents, softeners, conditioners and every other sort of cream, spray and mousse for skin, hair and the bits in between.

No bad thing at all - it’s just all that hogging of the mirror that really does the damage.