Kristin Cavallari is under fire from internet trolls for encouraging women to ditch the three-date rule, which says women should wait to have sex – at least – until the third date.

In response to a listener’s question about “how many dates” she goes on before she gets romantically involved with a new partner, the 36-year-old American TV presenter, fashion designer and author revealed that she usually waits for “three or four dates”.

Recently, however, the mother-of-three said she no longer considers it important to take her time to meet a new partner. “It doesn’t matter if you sleep with him on the first date or the 12th,” she said on the Let’s Be Honest podcast. “If there’s chemistry and emotion, it doesn’t matter at all.”

Her comments sparked a heated debate on social media, with many users bombarding her with sexist messages on her personal social media account.

“This is possibly the worst advice you could ever give,” one user wrote. “Same on you! Is this how you would want your daughter or someone who marries your son to see intimacy?’ Another user wrote that “this mentality is why Cavallari is divorced and still looking for someone.”