The sun is out, the pubs are full, and the streets are charged with an energy that only one uniting force can bring.

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Football. And that can only mean one thing. World Cup season is here.

For some people, the return of the tournament means weeks of cancelled plans, interrupted conversations and relationships temporarily taking a back seat to “the beautiful game”.

This is known as the “World Cup widow" phenomenon, a global uniting force which sees the non-football-obsessed party proverbially shunned into a corner, quietly enduring the ghost of their partner until the season ends.

When I told a friend about the phenomenon, they replied, “Isn’t this every heterosexual relationship ever, babe?”

But for one widow - 22-year-old Chrissy - it’s her female best friend she loses during the World Cup, as she explains, "I don’t watch football, I genuinely don’t like it".

But for Chrissy's best friend, it's an obsession. She says, “The second it's football........

© LBC