Finding love while tied to someone else
JULIA Roberts’s husband Danny Moder did it, so did Brad Pitt, Tom Brady, and Eddie Cibrian. Joining the list are Swizz Beatz, Tristan Thompson, and Tyga, who all left their very-much-in-the-picture partners for their more famous belles. When men do it, it’s considered typical for their species, but when women do it, it often surprises others. And so it was for Anna Faris, LeAnn Rimes, Tori Spelling, and Meg Ryan — women who met their significant others while they were in a relationship with someone else.
These are the ‘love stories’ not many people want to hear about, because they don’t take the format that we read about in books. But what lessons have been learnt by the people who enter these unions?
Charmaine, 36:
I met my husband while I was living with my babyfather, pregnant, and was just working the summer in the United States to make some extra funds to take care of the baby. It’s not that my babyfather was treating me badly or anything, he just didn’t have any vision or plans for our future, although we were together since high school. I met a man at the nursing home I was working — he was the son of a patient, and we just hit it off. It wasn’t a hard decision for me to make to leave Jamaica to be with him — the hardest part was leaving my other kids, even though it was only going to be for a short while. I learnt that love can find you when you’re least expecting it, and that you must seize it when it happens. There were no hard feelings — I even helped my babydaddy to get up here, too, by finding him a girl to marry. Now we all live in the same city and can co-parent our kids.
Chrissy, 43:
My now husband was my neighbour who would keep me company at night while I was doing my degree and going crazy with the workload. My man was in the army and hardly home. It didn’t feel like cheating at first — we were just rapping and had a vibe. As soon as I realised I had feelings for him, I ended it with my guy, who was posted off island at the time. Sometimes I feel bad, especially when my ex confessed how much it hurt (we had bought a car together and took out loans, so we were practically married), but you can’t put aside your true feelings or the sure for the unsure.
Dejah, 27:
I was going to school abroad for a few years, but my boyfriend and I decided that we would continue our relationship long distance. It wasn’t a problem for me at first, but out of sight, out of mind soon kick in. Let’s just say I got pregnant for the first guy I had a connection with — we had so much more in common than my ex and I did. I had my baby, finished school, and returned home with a new guy who loves me and our child. Yes, my ex and I should have broken it off before I left, now that I look back at it in hindsight.
Georgette, 42:
We met at work — that work husband and work wife thing is real, people! I was unhappy in my marriage and he was unhappy in his, and it was like a movie to be honest. The CEO introduced us because he wanted some stuff done, and we hit it off. We didn’t get inappropriate though. As soon as we realised there was a spark we both talked about it, and we both ended our marriages. We’ve been married 10 years, and we’ve never been happier, even though we did hurt our partners. But I don’t believe that karma will affect us, because our love is genuine.
