Cape Town-based Kirsty Carpenter and fiancé, Michael Honeyman, were jetted off to Venice to participate in the Durex Lovers’ Academy along with 25 other couples from around the world.

While in the City of Love, the Durex Lovers enjoyed an exclusive romantic experience on a private island dedicated to 'sex that moves' them. Here they had the advice and expertise of psychologist Susan Quilliam, author of The Joy of Sex, and scientist Brendan Walker who worked to help lovers discover how each of the experiments would affect them.

Ahead of the rest of the globe, the Durex Lovers discovered the impact of foreplay, the pleasure of increased sensation, and where fun gameplay could take them.

To follow in their footsteps and be part of Durex's first global experiment, download the Durexperiment APP now available for IOS and Android.

Before they left for Venice, Carpenter and Honeyman shared a bit about their involvement in the Durex Experiment:

1. What made you want to enter to become the local Durex Lovers?

Kirsty: I received the press release at work (Kirsty is a journalist at Women’s Health) I thought it sounded cool and different – I wanted to know more. As a sex writer, I always want to find out new things as it enables me to help other people through my own work.

Mike: Kirsty told me about it that night and I thought it would be a great way to find out more about us as a couple. I liked the element of the psychologist’s involvement as it adds a layer of depth to the experience.

2. What makes you the ultimate Durex Lovers?

We don’t see sex as just sex. It’s both emotional and physical and this fits the Durex brand philosophy well. We are open and communicative about how we feel, which sets us apart and although we’ve been together for long, we still feel that we can learn new things about each other.

3. Do you consider yourselves among the 54% of people who are not satisfied with their sex lives or with the 46% who are?

Definitely the 46% who are satisfied. There is always room for improvement though - we are satisfied but of course we could improve the experience even more.

4. What are you most excited about being a part of this campaign?

We are really interested to see the results. We’ve never been part of an experiment before and we are excited to be a part of something so different and that could end up helping so many other people. We are really looking forward to meeting both Susan and Brendan too, and also other people from other countries! It will be fascinating to see how they feel about this experience and how we differ country to country. This is important – it’s not just a sexual experiment – it’s a scientific thing, just because its not cancer research it doesn’t mean it’s not important, because sexual satisfaction is important to a stress free life, which is important for overall health and wellbeing.

5. How do you think South Africa is going to compare with the other participating countries?

It’s obviously way too early to tell but we are expecting the more ‘western’ countries to be more similar … We might see a whole bunch of myths and generalisations about the sexual habits of different couples bust. It’s very exciting.

6. Do you use Durex products ordinarily?

We have as well as other brands …

7. If so, what is/are your favourite Durex product/s?

The feather-light condoms and the ribbed ones – definitely.

8. What do you think makes for a satisfying sex life?

An emotional connection and open communication. It’s not just about the orgasm … it’s about being able to connect and have fun. Being open to new things and experimenting, and talking about what you like or would like to try so that you can really know what works for you.