I’m in love with my best friend’s hubby

DEAR BEL,

I HAVE a friend whom I’ve known for the past 20 years and we’re inseparable. We do everything together and love each other, but what she doesn’t know is that I’m in love with her husband of 22 years!

During the past nine months, we started spending a lot of time together, mainly around fitness interests and I have just fallen crazy deeply head-over-heels mad for him! What on earth should I do? I know he feels the same way! Oh no … SIMONE

THIS short email contains three exclamation marks, which just happens to be three too many for me.

Anybody would think you don’t take this seriously. Whether your light-hearted letter is some sort of tease (of me) or not, my answer is the same. It is totally unacceptable to cheat on a beloved friend in any way at all.

‘Crazy, deeply, head over heels mad…’ may indeed sum up the cliche idea of infatuation, and there are many people who delude themselves that lunacy justifies denying right and wrong.

But it doesn’t. Seriously, if you are in love with this man you have to do everything in your power to contain those feelings, giving him no encouragement whatsoever.

Both of you have to keep your hankerings locked away, avoid the sweaty temptations of tight lycra, and refuse to inflict any hurt at all on a woman who has done nothing but love both of you.

If you don’t, it will end in tears. lots of them.