Women bent on revenge against their ex only hurt themselves

THE sensational TV drama Doctor Foster returned this week to rave reviews, many noting the good doctor is now insane with jealousy.

Our eponymous heroine’s revenge on her cheating husband has struck a chord with women everywhere, and she is being hailed as the poster girl for every wife who’s been betrayed.

For the uninitiated, we’re into the second series. In the first, watched by ten million people, gemma Foster was a successful medic and mum, happily married to Simon when she found he was having an affair with a friend’s 23-year-old daughter, Kate.

The first series ended with Simon and pregnant Kate moving out of the village of Parminster while gemma remained behind — drinking excessively, bereft, divorced and a single mum to son Tom.

In series two, things get worse. Her ex and his new wife return to the village with their perfect new baby. They move into a multi- million pound mansion while she and Tom are still in their modest family home.

unsurprisingly it affects her sanity. She sneaks into Simon’s plush new house when no one’s at home. She turns up uninvited at his wedding party — only to discover all her so-called friends are there.

Soon she’s back glugging wine from the bottle and dissolving her wedding

WHEN my ex-husband cheated on me, I gave my wedding ring to a homeless drunk. I figured he could flog it to buy booze — and that way it would bring him more happiness than it ever brought me.

ring in acid, a metaphor for the revenge she is plotting on him.

So why are so many women rallying around this poor, deranged doctor? Because, as one tweeted: ‘I feel like Simon cheated on me. I’m fuming.’

Being the victim of infidelity is every woman (and man’s) nightmare, which is why Doctor Foster has touched such a nerve. A friend who counsels divorcing couples tells me it’s normal to want revenge. It’s part of grieving for a lost relationship.

First, she says, you suffer SOS — shock, outrage and sorrow. Then vengeance kicks in.

It’s healthy to imagine cutting his reputation to pieces along with his suits; to see in your mind the public showdown where you prove to everyone he is the complete b*****d.

But in your mind is where all these thoughts should remain, says my counsellor friend. Act on your feelings of vengeance and you only diminish and harm yourself.

The best way to get even is to build a better life for yourself — to make

them jealous of you. revenge — as we see through Dr Foster’s breakdown — is a dish best never served.