Results for: Open Relationships

In open relationships, defining and maintaining boundaries is crucial. This story explores a situation where an individual’s actions within an open relationship, though not explicitly defined as cheating, still caused a sense of betrayal. The author analyzes the nature of cheating, emphasizing that it involves depriving the other person of choice, knowledge, or the ability to address issues within the relationship. Despite the challenges, the author remains optimistic about the growth and reassessment opportunities that can arise from navigating these boundaries.

In an open relationship, we prioritize our libido over our partner’s feelings. We cheat people out of choice, agency, and knowledge. We cheat people out of an opportunity to express their feelings or wants or needs about a situation or we cheat people out of the ability to try to remedy a situation. We cheat people out of feeling cared for and protected in the ways that both parties had mutually agreed upon.

Ben Shephard’s playful comments on This Morning left his co-host Cat Deeley joking that their relationship was over. The pair, who took over as permanent hosts of the ITV show last month, were discussing open relationships with guest Lorraine Kelly when Ben made a cheeky remark to Cat that didn’t go down well. While Lorraine and Cat both expressed their disinterest in open relationships, Ben seemed more intrigued, leading to a playful exchange that had Cat walking off in mock disgust.