Dear Coleen

I THINK I’VE FALLEN OUT OF LOVE

I’M 20 years old and have been with my partner for almost three years. He’s still in love with me and is confident our relationship will last long-term. But I’m not.

We haven’t seen each other for two weeks and rather than missing him and looking forward to our next meeting, I’m glad to be free and every time I receive a message from him, I feel myself getting irritated.

Also, on a night out with the girls last week, I apparently drunkenly blurted out: “If I could go back, I’d never have gone out with him.”

Have I fallen out of love? I still care very deeply for him and don’t want to see him hurt, but I don’t feel any excitement or much affection any more.

He’s very immature and clingy, and I’m just feeling smothered and annoyed with him all the time, while I used to find it endearing. Any suggestions? breaks up, even if you know it’s for the best long-term.

But you can’t help the way you feel and I think it’s crueller in the long run to stay with him and string him along when you don’t feel the same way he does.

I think it would be more hurtful to him to know that every time you saw him you cringed when he was affectionate and felt irritated when he spoke.

Of course, it’s not easy to break up with someone and see them hurt, especially when you’ve been together for a while.

But you owe it to your boyfriend to be honest.

Tell him that, at 20, you’re not ready for a serious commitment and don’t want to waste any more of his time.

He deserves someone who wants what he wants – and who will find his personality quirks endearing.