Christmas is almost here but that's no consolation for my friend, who has just had his heart broken.

He had been single for almost as long as me so I was very happy for him when he met a new lady.

She had made such an impression on him, he said he was going to marry her after just a few weeks.

I knew he had it bad when I stopped hearing from him. Normally we'd have a chat most nights but when he started going out with Angela, everything went quiet.

They spent virtually all their time together and on the only occasion he came to my house, he went straight on my laptop and started instant messaging her.

But I didn't mind. We'd been friends for 10 years and I knew how much he wants to meet the right woman, settle down and start a family.

However, very quickly things went wrong between him and Angela. He's not sure what the trouble was but she suddenly went cold and lost interest.

The real blow came when she dumped him by text message. Ouch. My friend's pretty resilient but he took this hard.

They had been an item for less than two months but had moved forward in that time faster than some couples do in a year, s their break-up was a real blow.

It made me think twice about my hopes for romance for myself.

I love the good stuff that comes with a relationship, but it's a risky business - a bit like playing Russian roulette with your heart.

My friend will heal in time but he's learned a lot about falling in love so hard. hen he found himself swept up in a whirlwind romance, he found himself being blown off course.

Now he's come back down to earth with a bang but at least he's got his friends around him. nd I'm hoping that means his Christmas has a little merriment to get him through.