A new study has uncovered the Bond girl most compatible with James Bond across all 23 film adaptations of Ian Fleming’s popular spy books – and it’s probably not who you would expect.

The love life of the 007 is a convoluted affair, often mired in controversy regarding his treatment of woman.

Most recently, current Bond star Daniel Craig criticised the character for his “sexist, misogynistic” ways, vowing he would take 007 in another direction.

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“There’s a great sadness. He’s got these beautiful women but then they leave. It’s sad,” Craig told Esquire magazine.

“And as a man gets older it’s not a good look. It might be a nice fantasy, that’s debatable, but the reality, after a couple of months…

“I am certainly not that person. But he is … so what does that mean? It means you cast great actresses and make the parts as good as you can for the women in the movies.”

In past films, Bond has made a few attempts to settle down, only to have his female counterpart cruelly taken from him.

In the 1963 novel On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Bond married Teresa ‘Tracy’ Draco di Vicenzo (played by Diana Rigg in the film adaptation) but she was shot in the head on their wedding day.

“You think of women as disposable pleasures, rather than meaningful pursuits,” double agent Vesper Lynd says to Bond at the start of Casino Royale, before stealing his heart – and his trust – and tragically drowning at the conclusion of the film.

In the soon-to-be released Spectre, Bond is still mourning her death and Lynd remains one of the most memorable Bond girls, hailed for her strength and independence as a character.

Her appraisal of 007’s relationships with women and her chemistry with the iconic spy might be spot on, but a new study has found Lynd isn’t the Bond girl James should ultimately settle down with.

Click here to see every Bond girl ever

A study conducted by dating website eHarmony has ranked the most iconic Bond girls of all time based on their compatibility with 007.

The 15 women and Bond were scored across 29 criteria required for a successful long-term relationship, including values, beliefs, sense of humour and emotional temperament.

The most compatible Bond girl was Natalya Simonova (played by Izabella Scorupco) from 1995 film Goldeneye.

Simonova, who was the counterpart to Pierce Brosnan’s version of Bond, won out over the rest of the pack for her warmth, calmness in stressful situations and capacity to care – according to eHarmony.

Interestingly, the least compatible Bond girl was Teresa ‘Tracy’ Draco di Vicenzo, the only woman on the list to actually marry 007.

Vesper Lynd came in at number nine on the list.

While the website champions the redhead Simonova, former Bond author William Boyd has a different idea of who could tame the irrepressible bachelor.

“I’m not too keen on the expression ‘Bond Girl‘. I think Bond has relationships with women,” Boyd said in 2013.

“It seems to me that he wants a relationship, not just casual sex. I think of the many that I have read I remember Honey Ryder – and not because she was played by Ursula Andress in the film. I think she was a very interesting Bond Girl … Bond Woman.”

Ryder came in at number 12 on the list – you can see it in full below:

1. Natalya Simonova

2. Plenty O’Toole

3. Anya Amasova

4. Kara Milovy

5. Solitaire

6. Eve Moneypenny

7. Tatiana Romanova

8. Dr Holly Goodhead

9. Vesper Lynd

10. Jinx Johnson

11. Octopussy

12. Honey Ryder

13. Wai Lin

14. Pussy Galore

15. Tracy Bond