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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Wish I hadn’t seen this. Is the relationship doomed?

109 replies

mrenabeena · 05/05/2019 12:44

I’ve NCd because I would be mortified if this were to be linked to my usual NN.

I just moved in with my partner and it’s been an incredibly stressful move as half our stuff initially went missing because the delivery company went to the wrong address then tried to bill us extra as they claimed it was our mistake!

And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

I had to use DP’s laptop whilst the main computer was awol and came across a video of him having anal sex with his ex. I felt like I’d been punched in the gut and even though I know logically that it was something he did before he met me, I can’t help but feel upset.

He has never tried to have anal with me or even suggested it which makes me wonder why and if I’m boring in bed. He looked so into her in the video and I desperately wish I’d never seen it but the image is now burning on my mind.

I haven’t told him that I’ve seen it and the rational part of me thinks that I have no right to confront him as it is his past and we all have a past and exes.

But the irrational part of my brain thinks that I don’t ever want to have sex with him again. I am disturbed by what I saw to the extent that I can’t bear the thought of him ever touching me again.

This happened a week ago and I’ve been making the excuse that I’m sleeping in the spare room because I need proper rest for work (he is a snorer). But at some point I know I need to confront this or else the relationship is doomed.

OP posts:
mrenabeena · 05/05/2019 15:35

It’s not a newish relationship @Whocansay

We’ve been together 2 years and just moved in together

OP posts:
AllStar14 · 05/05/2019 15:53

I think you're overreacting. His sex life prior to meeting you is private. I'm not even sure I would be bothered that he still has the video, but if you really don't like it ask him to delete it. As others have said, if seeing this has made you question your sex life then you should discuss that with him as a separate matter.

Wonkybanana · 05/05/2019 15:56

OP you're unhappy about your sex life, and this video has brought that unhappiness - no pun intended - into sharp focus.

You're already wondering if you should leave him, so you have absolutely nothing to lose by talking to him about it. You may be able to work through whatever is, it may be the end, but at least you'll know. What's eating away at you right now is that you haven't got a clue about any of it.

Whocansay · 05/05/2019 16:07

mrenabeena I suppose my comment about it being 'newish' relationship is that I've been with my DH for 23 years and it took him 20 years to pluck up the courage to tell me he liked something quite specific in the bedroom, because he was embarrassed. The loon. I would happily have discussed it when we first met, but he didn't know how to say the words.

And it's not even that unusual!

His ex may have brought this up. They may have been more open, sexually speaking. We simply don't know, but I don't think it gives any reflection on your relationship or how he feels about you. Is it possible that you've had such an extreme reaction because you are looking for a way out?

maadlady · 05/05/2019 16:25

I would not mention it, go with the men are "visual creatures" ruled by their appendage train of thought..If you was a really evil person you could make a load of copies of it to DVD and post them to his clan, which of course would be most unfair for the woman involved, assuming she knows such footage exists.wrong hands and all. Sometimes it is better not to know. Chances are, and if you are already a bit suspect and turn the detective, you are going to find things you wish you had not, as I did. At the end of the day it is what it is-history. Let it go this time, he is with you now.

Singlenotsingle · 05/05/2019 16:34

If anal is supposed to be so normal, why were you so shocked, OP? Would you have been shocked if it had been ordinary sex? Being old-school, I would have been shocked.

Cannyhandleit · 05/05/2019 16:40

Back before I met my DP I had quite a spicy love life. Now with DP less spicy but much, much better! I don't miss the spicy days and I be mortified if DP knew all the details of the past! Also as a PP said there are probably loads of videos and pics (none explicit though) on my laptop that I have no idea are still there due to the cloud backing up. Although you've seen something you'd rather you hadn't seen I think you are reading too much into it.

TheRedBarrows · 05/05/2019 16:40

"you could make a load of copies of it to DVD and post them to his clan, which of course would be most unfair for the woman involved"

And potentially illegal.

maadlady · 05/05/2019 16:40

Worth a mention, take what your boyfriend says about his ex with a pinch of salt. The amount of utter nonsense I have heard men spout about their exes, which is an instant alarm bell as no one perfect.

Bookworm4 · 05/05/2019 16:44

Some pretty nasty/odd comments here, the ex done it to make herself more available? The guy could be gay?
Had MN slipped into the 1950s?

Grumpelstilskin · 05/05/2019 16:44

I would not be ok with a DP who has sex videos of an ex from years ago. I would have deleted it being a bit hot-headed. And then moved out. It's a no-go for me.

maadlady · 05/05/2019 16:45

Wow, it makes you wonder if there areany sex vids that have been starred in, unwittingly floating about..horrible thought

SandyY2K · 05/05/2019 16:57

It sounds like it was more about sex with her and it's a deeper relationship with you.

Have you ever suggested things sexually, that he's turned down? Do you not think he's into sex with you?

MsMaisel · 05/05/2019 17:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

JuniFora · 05/05/2019 17:54

The comments about anal meaning he must be secretly gay are bizarre, like falling into a 20th century timewarp. Most men are curious to try anything and anal is pretty vanilla nowadays.

The post about making DVDs and passing them around to his family is pschyoticaly evil. Who thinks like that?

Rspu1384 · 05/05/2019 17:59

Honestly it would upset anyone seeing your partner shagging somebody else. Even if it was before you and you know this. Think I would feel like I’d been punched if I saw my husband having sex with someone or an ex so it totally natural you feel upset. It’s not something anyone would want to ever see really is it?. BUT you k ow this is an ex probably a bad idea on your part for looking at it, I would talk to him about it and ask why he still has it like others have said could of just forgotten it was there who knows.

Madamedeluxe · 05/05/2019 18:00

Why did you even watch it?

Lifeisabeach09 · 05/05/2019 18:08

"Maybe he isn’t really into that sort of stuff and that is why she is an Ex!"

Erm - no.

No man, ever EVER left a lass because she liked it up the back stairs now and then.

^^Had me in stitches.

Seriously, OP. I'm guessing he kept it as a keepsake and as masturbation material.

I, completely, agree he needs to up his game in the sex stakes with you, however, it's entirely possible that his sex drive and preferences have changed.

Have a chat with him.

WeCameToDance · 05/05/2019 18:08

Oh op! I know exactly how you feel!
A while ago I had to pay a bill for dh which involved finding the info in his emails. Well while searching for the payment info I came across loads of emails to his ex which were of a explicit nature. I felt like I had been punched in the gut but also knew that this was in the past and I had no right to feel this way. It still hurt though. I felt so sad because like in your situation my dh seemed so into it. He has never sent me emails or pictures like that and it made me feel like their sex life must have been better.
I couldn't get it out of my mind and so told dh I had seen them. He didn't know they were still there and has now deleted them. Talking about it really helped and I haven't thought about it since. He explained the context of it all (not that he should have had too) which made sense and made me feel less like there was something wrong with our relationship.
If it's eating away at you I recommend talking about it.

KennyCalmIt · 05/05/2019 18:14

No it was in his videos file. I promise I wasn’t snooping! I opened it out of curiosity I admit but absolutely did not expect to find this

Yes, yes you were snooping. Whether you were looking for a specific reason or whether you were looking out of curiosity, you were snooping on his videos on his laptop. You don’t “accidentally come across” these kinds of things - you purposely went into the video section and opened these files. This was no accident. Just own it.

He looked so into her in the video

Well of course he did. She was his girlfriend, I’d be more concerned if he didn’t look into her.

But the irrational part of my brain thinks that I don’t ever want to have sex with him again. I am disturbed by what I saw to the extent that I can’t bear the thought of him ever touching me again

He has a history. He has a past and life that existed long before you came into it. He hasn’t done anything wrong, they both consented to the video, he was in a loving relationship at the time. How would you feel if he viewed you differently simply because you had anal sex with an ex?

He has full permission to open mine and has always been happy for me to see his. Mainly family photos and albums that we cba to send over so it’s easier to just look on each other’s phones

If this is the case, why can’t you just tell him what you saw? It’s only ever on Mumsnet that I see people claiming they use each other’s phones. It literally takes 10 seconds to send something to someone. In my whole dating history I’ve never been “too lazy” to use my own phone, I’ve never felt the need to use my DP’s phone instead of mine. I’m sure people on here say that to excuse looking through their partners stuff.
Besides even if that is all genuinely true, you still had no need to be looking at his videos on his laptop, so you were still snooping.

I’m more gutted that he wouldn’t want to be more adventurous with me

How do you know? Have you ever suggested anal to him? Perhaps he’s just assumed you wouldn’t be into it which is why he’s never suggested it.

He ended things with her about six months before we met and they were more of a fling than a serious relationship

But I thought you said he looked so into her ???

Okay, nobody wants to see their partner have sex with somebody else even if it was a long time ago, but in all honesty this is your own fault. Regardless of how you try to explain or justify it, you snooped on his files when you didn’t need to. You were being nosey.

The thing that stands out to me is this -

My gut feeling is that he’s forgotten about the video on his laptop. I know that he deleted anything to do with her on his phone

How convenient. He remembered to delete every single thing however he’s simply “forgotten” about that video of them having anal?
No OP, he hasn’t forgotten about it at all. Don’t be fobbed off by that. You don’t ever forget about making a sex tape with someone. If you remember to delete everything about that person on your phone, you’d remember the video of you both having anal, aswell.

If your relationship is that open and honest and you truthfully look through each other’s phones then you won’t have a problem with admitting what you’ve found.

Moralitym1n1 · 05/05/2019 19:05

the ex done it to make herself more available?

Op seemed to be asking why he hasn't suggested it with her, is he keeping a side of himself back etc. .. I said it's possible not,bots perfectly possible he's not all that into it and it was just experimentation. Experimentation that maybe he wasn't even the main proponent of .. if may sound bad, but having frequented a male dimj atec forum did many years I've noticed them say that with women who are trying to gey a hold on them or hold onto them, they find they (the women) act very sexually 'wild' is will do anything, always trying to spice it up, always trying to be uber sexy and blow their mind sexually. They think it will get them or keep them; it doesn't.
It wax just a theory because apparently op dumped the ex, not her, and then she went along with fwb.

Of course he could be lying, as one poster pointed out, and of course she could've been completely happy to have sex with him on a fwb basis having been dumped (!).

Anyway, it rather depends (also) on whether he kept it on purpose or forgot about it, I can see both arguments about this.

Moralitym1n1 · 05/05/2019 19:08
  • male dominated forum
Moralitym1n1 · 05/05/2019 19:18

My main concern would be that he filmed it with ex's consent actually.

After that, that he'd not holding onto it to replay etc. Which is creepy and inappropriate in several ways.

Redglitter · 05/05/2019 19:49

you could make a load of copies of it to DVD and post them to his clan, which of course would be most unfair for the woman involved

WTAF!!! Apart from being illegal it would also be most unfair to the man involved too. The video is of him having sex with a previous partner, hes done nothing wrong. I cant believe this idea would cross the mind of any sane person.

Bluntness100 · 05/05/2019 20:01

Oh for God's sake. All this imagining crap.

Op, he had a sex life before you. Every couples sex live is different. Because there is always one different person involved.

He has hugely likely forgotten he has this if it was in his video files and he's deleted other things.

Seriously snooping like this is shit. Proper shit behaviour. And you were snooping let's be honest here.

So he had anal with his ex and a good sex life. His relationship with uou is different. He's emotionally more involved with you.

If you're not happy with your sex life tell him. But accept he wasn't s virgin when he met you and he's never denied having sex with other women.

And stop snooping through his stuff. It's so underhand and unacceptable