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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

Would you tell your husband that you cheated 10 years ago?

83 replies

NameChange784 · 13/12/2022 15:56

DH and I have been together for 15 years, since we were teenagers. We've been married 4 years. The first 4-5 years of our relationship were fairly typical for a teenage/early 20s relationship I'd say - quite a lot of drama, on-again off-again, lots of bickering, we'd split up for a week if we had a bad argument and get back together. Very immature. We grew up, matured and stayed together and for the past 10 or so years we've had a very stable, happy relationship (now marriage). We have two kids, a house, a dog and rarely argue, not about anything big anyway.

When I was 20 I cheated on DH with a school friend of both of ours, I'll call him Tim. DH doesn't know the full extent of this. What he does know is that during a summer where he and I were broken up for about 2 months, I hooked up a few times with Tim. He thinks this all happened when we were separated. What he doesn't know, is that about 6 months later, when we were back together, Tim and I kissed (plus some touching) while very drunk at a party. We had had sex several times while DH and I were apart, but on this occasion we didn't go any further, so there was no sex involved in the cheating. I didn't tell DH at the time and never have. So as far as he's aware, once we got back together, nothing further happened between me and John.

After I cheated, I intentionally cut Tim out of my life as much as possible. We have a lot of mutual friends and live in the same area so I've seen him in a group setting from time to time (DH often there too) but have tried to avoid being in a conversation with him, so we haven't had more interaction than occasional small talk since. I haven't seen him socially for years, but have bumped into him a couple of times over the past 5 or so years, been polite and left. For me it's very much a thing of the distant past and feels like something from my childhood - the hooking up when DH and I were separated was during the 2012 Olympics, which feels like a very long time ago!

But I do still feel guilty about it, and the fact that DH is oblivious to the cheating. What would the moral thing be to do here? Part of me wants to get it off my chest. I honestly don't think it'd be much more than a sad conversation at this point, I certainly don't think we'd break our marriage and family up over it. And clearing my conscience about it would feel like a weight off my mind. But would I just be hurting his feelings for no reason? What's the right thing to do at this point? Would you want to know if you were in his position?

Disclaimer - what I did was 100% wrong and I'm in no way trying to minimise it. I'm only trying to explain that how long ago it was and how young we were makes it feel like something that happened in another lifetime. DH and I and are relationship are completely different people to who we were back then, and I certainly didn't think I'd end up marrying my teenage boyfriend and bringing this baggage with me into adult life!

OP posts:
Spottycarousel · 03/03/2023 17:58

Work on forgiving yourself. Then you won't feel the desire to reveal all to your h and ruin your relationship.

None123 · 09/09/2023 09:36

I think I cheated on my boyfriend two years ago.
We were in a distant relationship, the communication was not good at all, as we could go for weeks without talking and to me we were done, I met someone else, though the new person knew about the situationship. My old boyfriend came back into my life a year later, and wants to get married to me. Now I feel I cheated on him, cause he said to him we were not done and I also found out that he was cheating on me too.

Should I tell him about the new guy I met and that I cheated?

Thisisworsethananticpated · 09/09/2023 10:17

None123

no !!!!!

what value will it add ? None

and it’s not relevant either as you weren’t together

Spacecowboys · 09/09/2023 10:22

If this had happened ten years ago, my oh regretted it and learned from it, I wouldn’t want to know.

Onthecuspofabreakthrough · 09/09/2023 10:24

None123 · 09/09/2023 09:36

I think I cheated on my boyfriend two years ago.
We were in a distant relationship, the communication was not good at all, as we could go for weeks without talking and to me we were done, I met someone else, though the new person knew about the situationship. My old boyfriend came back into my life a year later, and wants to get married to me. Now I feel I cheated on him, cause he said to him we were not done and I also found out that he was cheating on me too.

Should I tell him about the new guy I met and that I cheated?

You'd be better starting a new thread!
not only would I not tell him, I would end the relationship he has red flags all over him

Ilovejackrussells · 23/12/2024 00:28

@NameChange784 I'm in a similar situation, what did you end up doing?
NameChange784

Heretolisten11 · 21/09/2025 01:48

Hi i know its been years later , What did you end up doing?

Heretolisten11 · 21/09/2025 01:49

What did you end up doing?

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