EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND star Patricia Heaton is having sex with her husband David Hunt twice a week - on doctor's orders.

The mother-of-four, who recently wrapped work on her sitcom after a nine-year run, admits raising her children often takes it toll on her ability to make love with her husband at the end of a long day, but now she's been advised it'll be good for her well-being.

She explains, "I went and a physical, just complete checkup to make sure everything's cool. And the advice my doctor came up with for me to get sort of like back on track: 'Have sex with your husband twice a week,' as opposed to enjoy my life!

"That is an awful lot. Any woman you talk to who has young children at home, really at the end of the day you just wanna turn on the TV, you wanna read a book."

But there are advantages to Heaton's revamped sex life.

She admits, "I can get whatever I want. We have a beagle and he's not allowed in the house, he's not allowed in the yard and nobody talks to him or plays with him. So I thought, 'We've gotta get another one, but my husband hates the dog... Well, I know how to get a second dog if we need it, and we have two beagles now!"

25/02/2005 03:49