Josephine & Bella’s Real Friendship Story: A Genuine Friendship, Five Years On

Josephine and Bella matched on Gofrendly five years ago. Here's the real story of how one match became a lasting friendship.

Every friendship starts somewhere — for Josephine, it started with a match on Gofrendly, and five years later, it’s turned into one of the steadiest, most real relationships in her life. Here’s her real friendship story, in her own words.

Key Takeaways

Josephine and Bella matched on Gofrendly and met in person early on — the in-person meetup is what turned a good app-chat into a real friendship.
They come from different backgrounds, and that became something to learn from, not a barrier to closeness.
Five years in, their friendship runs on consistency — regular dinners and hangouts — not grand gestures.

Josephine & Bella’s Real Friendship Story

I met my friend Bella through Gofrendly about five years ago, and it’s honestly hard to remember life without her now. We clicked right away in the app, and when we finally met up in person, it felt like we’d known each other for years. We come from pretty different backgrounds, which means we’re always learning something from each other, but we also have enough in common that we just get each other.

Bella makes me laugh more than almost anyone I know, and I always leave our hangouts in a better mood than when I showed up. She’s the kind of friend who’s just there — no drama, no keeping score, just showing up for each other. Now that we’ve both got partners, our friendship has turned into a full-on double-date situation: dinner, a ridiculous board game the two of them insist on playing, and way too much talk about family, politics, and whatever’s going on in the world.

“She's the kind of friend who's just there — no drama, no keeping score, just showing up for each other.”

— Josephine, Gofrendly member

I’m so grateful Gofrendly is how we found each other. Five years later, Bella isn’t just a friend I made on an app — she’s just part of my life now, simple as that. It’s easy to think of app-made friendships as somehow more fragile than the ones you make at school or through family, but five years on, ours has outlasted plenty of friendships I made the traditional way.

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What Josephine & Bella’s Friendship Can Teach You

Their story isn’t dramatic, and that’s kind of the point. A few things stand out about why it worked.

Meet in person, sooner rather than later. Their connection felt instant in the app, but it was the first in-person meetup that made it feel like they’d known each other for years.
Different backgrounds aren’t a dealbreaker. Josephine and Bella don’t have identical lives — they have enough in common to click, and enough differences to keep learning from each other.
Consistency beats big gestures. Five years later, their friendship is built on regular dinners and hangouts, not one-off grand moments.
Five years in, it still feels new. New milestones, like both having partners now, keep giving their friendship fresh shape.

10%of UK adults say they have no close friends at all — and having ten or more is linked to a far stronger sense of belonging. Close, lasting friendships are still very much possible — they just take the same first step Josephine and Bella took: one match, one message.

Source: Belonging Forum / Opinium survey of 10,000 UK adults (March 2025)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a real Gofrendly member story?

Yes — Josephine shared her own experience meeting Bella through Gofrendly. Her story has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

How long does it usually take to build a friendship like theirs?

There’s no fixed timeline. Some Gofrendly friendships click within weeks; others, like Josephine and Bella’s, grow steadily over months and years, and both paths can lead somewhere every bit as lasting as the other.

Can I share my own Gofrendly friendship story?

We’d love to hear it — every real friendship story starts with someone sharing theirs. Share your friendship story through our form.

Real friendships like Josephine and Bella’s don’t happen overnight — but they do start with one match, one message, one yes. Our guide to making friends as an adult covers the basics, and Julia and Isabelle’s story shows how a newer friendship starts out.

Written by

Claudia

Claudia is the co-founder of Gofrendly, the friendship app for women. Having built a thriving community for women of all ages, she has gained unique insights into what helps meaningful friendships grow and last.

“The best social technology doesn’t keep people online—it helps them build relationships offline.”