Growing up, I never envisaged my future self living in a house with a white picket fence, a few kids tottering about and settling down in the suburbs like a lot of married couples our age do. My relationship with my husband Liam was always a little out of the box, and so that ‘ideal marriage’ was never really on the cards for us. Saying that, I never thought we would be the kind of couple who would be living apart, either.
Liam and I met in a Budapest bar almost nine years ago. It was a chance encounter that quickly led to a whirlwind romance. Three months later, Liam quit his job and sold his house to live with me in Paris and then the Philippines, where my family is based.
We had our big white wedding on a beach there in 2018, attended by friends and family from all over the world. Because I’m a travel writer, we travelled ferociously and took life by the reins.
There was a point in 2019 when I was travelling constantly for work. So, when lockdown 1.0 was announced, I actually relished the chance to ground myself and spend more time at home with Liam. Yet the reality was far from what I imagined. As the lack of work chipped away at our financial and social security, it also chipped away at our marriage. Liam retreated further into himself, while I tried to control everything around me. I began exercising religiously, monitoring everything I ate and drank, and was determined to keep a positive outlook. I saw our home as a refuge – but it had become a prison for Liam.
Denne historien er fra August 24, 2021-utgaven av WOMAN'S OWN.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra August 24, 2021-utgaven av WOMAN'S OWN.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
ANITA NAIK A PROBLEM SHARED
Mum-of-two Anita Naik has been an agony aunt for 32 years
ON SAFARI IN SOUTH AFRICA
Add the wilds of Kruger National Park to your bucket list, says Amanda James
'LET'S RAISE SOME SERIOUS CASH!'
The Radio 2 DJ is among the hosts of Children In Need…
THREE WOMEN ONE DRESS
Gemma Stevens, 34, needed a wedding dress that had stood the test of time
HOW TO HAVE A SILENT NIGHT
Trouble nodding off? Waking in the early hours? Our experts can help
MIND OF MY OWN
The Woman's Own columnist has her say on I'm a Celeb, work attire and young drivers
I THOUGHT HE'D COME TO KILL ME
For Sally Meeson, 45, the end of a relationship was the beginning of a nightmare
Loose Women IN CRISIS
With unhappy viewers and panel fall-outs, are the key characters about to be axed?
MAGNIFICENT MAURITIUS
Pe This istand in the ut 7% Indian Ocean feels Sa: like paradise, says Charlotte Richards
I HATE BEING A MUM
One woman, 55, reveals why she resents all of the sacrifices she made to be a mother