To think my friend is making a HUGE mistake and she should leave well alone.

This happened to a lovely friend of mine. Happily married some 35 years later.

Tbf, worked out for the best as husband 1 was a controlling arse and husband 2 is a genuinely lovely man.

I had a mate who left her husband and married his brother. And she had a daughter by the first husband. So the little girl’s uncle became her step dad and her dad was also her uncle! 🤦‍♀️

Could be messy, but could work out really well. Be there for your friend when needed, but don't interfere.
Sorry if that sounds a bit woolly.

Oh and the original cheaters split up within a couple of years!

My first boyfriend was the child in this set up. He lived with his dad and stepmum ( and several siblings/step siblings) who got together when their respective spouses ran off together leaving their kids behind. They started as friends, had been married a few years when I knew them and seemed very happy, and still appear to be so over 30 years later.

The heating husbands and his OW are really not in a position to complain about their exes getting together are they?

Didn’t this happen with Shania Twain?

Sounds like a crap episode of East Enders. Poor child.

I think this isn’t as uncommon as you’d think. I think there is a degree of trauma bonding involved, yes, but not a rebound in the classic sense. I think it’s very similar to bereaved partners ending up with the best mate or sibling of their deceased partner. It happens oddly.

The opposite happened to the two couples I know that did this!

My friend was an OW. She and her partner have been together years now and have 2 DC together whilst their ex DPs also got together and have children. We all thought it was utterly bizarre at the time but they all seem happy in their own situations now (hate each other of course !)

I have a close friend that this happened to. Her husband was cheating and she met up with OW's hubby out of curiosity really, compare stories and fill in gaps etc. They have now been married for many years. Their exes did not end up staying together and both married other people. They didn't have any kids together but both had kids with the ex partners. They are all grown up with kids of their own.

Seems OK to me. One of my parents close friends got together with the ex wife after their respective spouses had an affair and left.

Turned out well.

Done out of hurt , I’d imagine , not spite …

Yes a similar thing happened several years ago near me. The husband and wife in one couple fell for the wife and husband in another couple and vice versa. They rejigged their housing arrangements and to the best of my knowledge are all still very happy to this day.

TBF it's got FA to do with the ex partners who caused the situation in the first place. They are CF to be angry. Hopefully your friend and her new partner are happy , perhaps they have the qualities in each other that they lost by the ex partners leaving. Like jigsaw pieces in a reversed weird way.

This reminds me of a situation when I was a kid. I had a girl scout leader who was a real piece of work. She abused her son, who I went to school with. He went to prison later for murder. One day during a Scout meeting at her house she got into a wrestling match/ fist fight with her daughter. Anyway I found out later she and her husband each paired up with the neighbors across the street. I always felt sorry for the kids .

Came here to say this!

This sort of thing happened to a friend I went to school with the parents have been with their respective partners for over 20 years now.

"Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats"!

Thinking about Shania’s situation - surely the last person in the world you would want to cheat on is a country singer? I mean, cheating spouses and heartbreak is their bread and butter, lyric-wise. They could spend several albums absolutely eviserating you very very publicly. Awkward.

I knew a guy (now in his 50ies) whose parents have done it and both couples remarried to each other. In their circles it was known as the great wife swapping party 😀 (behind their backs).
so it could work 😀

This is the situation with my ex MIL and her husband. They ran off together and the remaining pair got together. They had been best friends for many years and both couples had children of similar ages who were close friends. I didnt come into the picture until a few years later and by then everything was ticking along nicely. The two couples were never friends again but all the children are still close and regard each other as family. It has made for a couple of interesting weddings along the way, but they are all still together 30 years on.

My Grandmother did this and stayed married to her second husband for 30+ years until she died. They were very happy.

Didn’t Shania Twain do this? Either way, ow and cheating shitty ex have absolutely nothing to be “furious” about. It’s ok for them to shag each other but the people they’ve left need permission? From them? Doesn’t that just show how entitled they really are! Support your friend but stay out of it.