‘My long-time friend implied to my spouse that I was having an affair’
Tell Me About It: A long-standing pal implied to my spouse that I was seeing other people, which was a complete lie
Relationship Advice
Read more articles about relationship advice
‘I found it hard to cut my mother off completely, but I had to’
People who have experienced family estrangement share their stories on outcomes from family personality clashes, unsupported mental health struggles and abusive behaviours
‘I’m in my 30s and I want so badly to have a first love, but I am losing hope’
Ask Roe: I want so badly to have a first date, a first kiss, a first love, and am finding it harder with every year that passes to stay hopeful
‘I can’t find any interesting men in Ireland. They are emotionally and sexually conservative’
Ask Roe: I travel a lot and at home I find the talent available never left Ireland for more than a holiday
‘I rarely bring up my sexuality in front of family, for fear they will not love me’
Tell Me About It: ‘I am not sure if I should be confronting them, or continuing to shut down during these conversations for the sake of peace’
‘My girlfriend regularly texts her ex-boyfriend. Am I being too insecure about it?’
Ask Roe: She explained that before their relationship they were just friends and she wanted to keep that friendship
‘I want to continue to give up alcohol, but I’ve relented due to pressure from my spouse’
Tell Me About It: I no longer enjoy drinking and would really like to cut it out. What should I do?
I’m in my 60s with a pleasant companion – is it asking too much to want more?
Ask Roe: I’m beginning to wonder if we are just friends. We never sleep together
‘I was away for the weekend, looked at the doorbell camera and could see my boyfriend moving out’
Tell Me About It: I am in my mid-30s, and I know I want commitment. Do I wait in hope for my boyfriend, or move on?
‘My partner lives in terror of Covid-19. We even had to cancel our wedding’
Ask Roe: ‘She insists I wear a mask all day, and we have separate bedrooms and bathrooms’
‘My sibling turns every family event into a scene where they are the star’
Tell Me About It: ‘They are never satisfied with the level of attention they get – so I don’t really bother trying’
‘I feel sexually muted but I don’t want to blow up my marriage’
Ask Roe: Sex with my husband has always been fine, nothing more. It’s familiar to the point of numbness
‘I left my husband, but things are messy ... everything is about money now’
Tell Me About It: Seek professional support now and begin the process of creating separate lives
I’m in my 50s and want to start over with the one who got away
Ask Roe: It had been years since we met, and in our 20s we were in love with each other
Relationship experts on secrets to long-term love
Love isn’t something you secure once and protect from change. It’s something you keep on creating
Love for life: ‘That evening, my life changed. The rest is history’
Couples together for decades reflect on the arc of their relationships, including the tough times and the everyday rituals that sustained them
Three Irish couples on navigating a long-term relationship: ‘The little things can mean the most’
Couples together for decades reflect on the arc of their relationships, including the tough times and the everyday rituals that sustained them
‘My siblings did not inform me of my mother’s death’
Tell Me About It: ‘Since I disclosed familial sexual abuse, I have been estranged from my parents and siblings’
‘My boyfriend is so kind and loving, but I feel a bit bored’
Ask Roe: I’m worried if I leave I won’t find someone as caring as him, but I also feel stuck
‘I’ve had a traumatic event, but my best friend has not really shown up for me’
Tell Me About It: ‘This person has changed from caring to much more hard-nosed’
How do I convince my boyfriend to stay connected to his difficult family?
Ask Roe: He can’t understand how I can associate with family and friends who think differently to me
‘Can I raise doubts about my relationship without ending it?’
Ask Roe: Marriage and children are on the horizon for us but I’ve started to question whether it is what I want
‘None of what I intended to do with my life has materialised but I struggle to make a decision to change it’
Tell Me About It: ‘For the umpteenth time I have questioned what I am doing there and how I should change my life to something more meaningful’
How can I convince my on-again off-again flame I’m ready to commit?
Ask Roe: I left her to go travelling, but I found out she was seeing someone else and I feel really hurt
‘I feel a bit resentful of my daughter who did not involve me in her new marriage after her husband died’
Tell Me About It: I’m afraid that if I do the wrong thing, she might cut me off
‘My son has been complaining about going to see his dad... What do you recommend?’
Ask the Expert: ‘I think my son might be bored and on video games most of the time while there’
‘My boyfriend’s a good person but he was rude to me in front of my family. Should I leave him?’
Ask Roe: ‘We don’t have much to talk about and our time together only revolves around sex’
‘I discovered the affair when a text came in on my husband’s phone’
Tell Me About It: We have decided to stay together but it has been an uphill battle to rebuild trust
My friends don’t buy me gifts and it makes me feel unloved
Ask Roe: ‘If this was a romantic, I would have a conversation about it but as it’s with friends, should I let it slide?’
‘I’m dating someone, but now she is going to hear about what I did’
Tell Me About It: I spent the night with someone I shouldn’t have . . . I feel like I cannot stop myself from self-destruction
‘My partner has a cocaine habit, and I take it too. I want him to stop for both of us’
Ask Roe: ‘He went to the doctor but didn’t mention the cocaine, and he has been prescribed antidepressants but he won’t take them’
‘I keep getting with men who won’t commit, aren’t kind and only call me for sex. I’m tired of it’
Ask Roe: ‘I want to find love and a real relationship like my friends who go out with nice guys’
My husband and I are constantly bickering. We aren’t breaking up but how can we fix it?
Ask Roe: Stress, anxiety and a lack of connection can fuel this kind of thinking
I broke up with my boyfriend recently for cheating, but I can’t stop blaming myself
Ask Roe: Take care of yourself – but also be so proud of yourself. Feel so grateful that you’re free of this man
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