Have you ever even read their news articles? They are of a much higher standard than anything The Independent has ever put out.

> We ate on the balcony and, as we shared a bottle of wine and listened to the chorus of insects, I began to think that the year of groundwork I had put in was about to pay off. Marylin stayed the night.

The author maybe thinks she might feel shame about some of her past sexual partners; maybe he feels shame about some of his and believes given enough time everyone has shame about a sexual partner or two, for whatever reason.

The other option is the author thinks that she believes the author will see her in a negative light for some of her past sexual partners, for whatever reason, so she will not mention the ones that show her in a bad light.