Someone liked you well enough once to marry you, so I doubt you’re an entirely unlovable ogre!
Luck plays a big role in dating, especially in a vast anonymous place like London.
Oh and remember we did all spend a few years basically locked inside during Covid, so that won’t have helped.
Do you think you are a little bit clinically depressed?
When I have felt down about my appearance and appeal, I have always always felt better once I radically increase the amount of exercise I do. It sounds like you enjoy walking - hiking is a good group hobby already. But I’m talking about getting properly fit - not a bad idea in your mid 40s anyway.
Men in their 40s tend to lose that god-like beauty that draws women like flies, but I’m telling you that just evens up the playing field.
So what is your dating USP? How do you market yourself? If you don’t have “kerbside appeal” then maybe you need to get some. If you go on the mumsnet Property section, you’ll find dozens of threads where people ask why their house isn’t selling, and everyone critiques their Rightmove ads. It’s absolutely fascinating that the homeowner often can’t see what’s wrong - the drab view of the front garden which doesn’t show how you get to the garage, the weird angle on the photo of the kitchen, the missing crucial detail in the blurb.
If your face isn’t your biggest asset … a beard? Or distract your target market with a drool-worthy set of abs. A good body ALWAYS serves you well in the dating market and women will notice. As you age, and the women around you age too, an obvious point but we aren’t all brimming with confidence in our late 40s. So what your face looks like is of less and less importance. My delightful widowed neighbour found a partner who has a vast snowy white beard that covers what’s missing in his facial looks, I assume, but he has a physical job and definitely ticks all the other boxes in terms of body and personality. So…Workout and get yourself into a lean shape. Your 50-year old self will thank you anyway.
Let your daughter reach her teen years utterly baffled that her gorgeous, funny, fit dad has stayed single (if you still are by then). She won’t judge you, she will just love you.
Oh and the little white lie is fine - your daughter doesn’t need to know you feel bad about being single. Does she pick up on how lonely you feel, do you think? You can just say with there’s only room for one lady in your life right now, and that’s her, but you’ll think about finding someone.