Daily Star agony aunt Jane O'Gorman has responded to a reader whose partner has left him for another woman, and to a mother who feels neglected by her dog-obsessed daughter.
Heartbreak after partner leaves for a woman
A man wrote to Jane explaining that his partner of seven years has fallen in love with a woman she works with. She has moved into the new partner's flat and told him she has never been happier or more sexually satisfied. He fears ridicule from his school friends, especially on an upcoming stag weekend he cannot afford to drop out of.
He described himself as a loving and kind partner who provided stability, and he questioned whether their love meant nothing to her. He also worried about living in a small community where the news will spread quickly.
Jane's advice: focus on your own future
Jane told him he did not 'make' her gay, and that relationships end all the time. She advised him to consider skipping the stag do or telling his friends in advance that he is hurting and not interested in jokes. She also suggested he might need to rethink his friendship with a best mate who sounds 'spiteful and nasty'.
Jane encouraged him to look at the future as a wide-open book, possibly changing jobs or moving, and to write his own future.
Mother feels second to daughter's dog
A second reader, a mother, complained that her 32-year-old daughter is obsessed with her dog and won't go on holiday or out for a meal because she doesn't like leaving it. The mother was insulted when her daughter wouldn't visit while she was ill because the dog had a bad paw.
Jane advised the mother to accept her daughter has her own life and priorities, and to avoid feeling resentful or bitter. She suggested the mother busy herself with her own friends and family, noting that the daughter is entitled to do what she wants and doesn't have to answer to her.
