Being A Mistress At Christmas

In a shocking confession, Gweneth Lee, 47, reveals how she’s actually helped save marriages

- Bess Browning

Walking hand-in-hand into one of London’s finest department stores, I kissed the man beside me and gazed adoringly at the perfumes and jewellery. I knew, soon enough, an array of beautifully wrapped gifts would be nestled under my Christmas tree, thanks to him. After shopping, he took me for lunch at a fancy restaurant – the perfect festive afternoon for any couple, you might think. But as we sat there sipping our Champagne, his phone rang and instantly spoiled the mood. The look on his face told me exactly who was on the other end of the line – his wife.

Good intentions

Becoming a mistress isn't something I set out to be. In my early 20s, I met a man called Robert, through friends. On our first few dates, we agreed we didn’t believe in monogamy and our relationship was open from the start. A year later, we married and it didn’t make a difference to our arrangement. It didn’t mean we loved each other any less, just that we enjoyed the odd night with other people. We were respectful, never meeting people who had a connection to us or our friends.

But after eight years of being happily married, Robert was diagnosed with cancer. Just two years later, he died. I was distraught and thought I’d never meet someone I loved as much as him. I spent a few years single – but then, in 2005, I met James through my work as the owner of an events company.

For a while, we were entirely devoted to each other – but three years on, I was starting to struggle with monogamy.

After a lengthy discussion, we finally agreed I would have my needs met, discreetly, elsewhere.

Unlike Robert, James wasn’t very happy about it and, at first, I felt strange meeting other men, like I was betraying my partner. But I soon got used to it.