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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

WWYD odd situation with ex wife

231 replies

BeingIrked · 20/03/2024 07:27

I'm going to try and be brief, so happy to answer any questions.

To give some background...

I have been with my partner for 2 and a half years and recently got engaged.

He was married for around 20 years and they divorced 12/13 years ago.

Following that, he was in a relationship for several years which ended before he and I got together. We were friends (as part of a social group) for a few years before we got together and I knew his most recent ex.

He is amicable with his ex wife and they have adult children together.

He plays in a band. I used to go and see his band play and his ex wife didn't go to any gigs but since we have got together, she turns up to nearly of them. Despite having a partner, she has made it very clear that she would like to get back with him. This is something she never did when he was with his ex although he was aware that she would have reconciled if he'd wanted to.

I'm not worried that he is interested in any way, but my issue is this.

When she comes to gigs, she behaves in ways that she used to when they first split up. She dances in front of him whilst he is on stage and openly videos him. Just him - not the band. She has her phone upright (rather than landscape to catch the whole band) and is standing so close to him in front that she will only be filming him.

I think this is a bit odd. My exh has a performance based hobby and I would have no interest/think it a bit inappropriate, to go and see him. I wouldn't be standing in front of him filing him.

Anyway, all of this is a bit odd but what I really don't like is that she stands there staring aggressively at me. I did speak to her the first time I met her and she was absolutely fine with me. Their kids were there too and I thought it was odd that she went but she was with the kids. She was perfectly fine with me but did speak to me as though she had 'ownership' of him and was 'allowing' us to be together.

Now, she turns up without the kids and does the same - dancing and videoing him but just standing there staring at me stony faced. I've tried smiling at her, tried talking to her again and she just blanks me whilst staring at me. On a couple of occasions she's been stood on her own 6-10 feet away from me just standing and starting at me.

He doesn't have her as a friend on SM but his profile is open. He blocked her last summer because she posted a comment on one of his posts when we were on holiday last year. It wasn't a friendly, "Looks great, have a lovely time," comment to us both but more 'territory marking'. He didn't like it and blocked her.

He wants me to go to his gigs. I like going to them, but I really don't enjoy this open hostility. Being watched all evening with someone standing 6 feet away staring at me isn't how I want to spend my Saturday nights if I'm honest with you.

She tends to only turn up to gigs at a couple of venues but they play at them quite a lot. Would it be unreasonable of me to to just not go to these gigs? Of course, this doesn't take its account the times she might turn up at other venues.

He wants me to go and because he doesn't see this behaviour, he doesn't really get how unpleasant it is.

OP posts:
Richconstance · 23/03/2024 11:49

Why the fuck did I say "situation" so many times in that post 🙄😂

BeingIrked · 23/03/2024 11:52

Richconstance · 23/03/2024 11:48

OP what a shit situation though!

I'd be the same, not wanting to come across as the trouble maker, so what I'd suggest is being (what seems) your normal lovely, "cba with drama" self and explain calmly to your parter that you don't want to come across as the dick/cause problems (all the things you've mentioned) but you're feeling super uncomfortable, and are going to just remove yourself from the situation...

She is an absolute asshole and is making a tit of herself.... you're probably doing the right thing by just removing yourself from the situation and not antagonising the situation, you know she'd turn it into a "poor me" situation and try and make it look like you're the asshole 🙄

Do keep us posted, and good luck!

That is exactly how I feel about it.

OP posts:
Andthereyougo · 23/03/2024 11:58

I think your DH needs to be firm with her. Stop filming me , stop glaring at @BeingIrked . My ex-h didn’t do this ( not a musician, his ex wife started turning up at our home, walking in, phoning all hours, just wouldn’t let him go even though she’d ended their marriage and had a new partner) We had the “3 people in this marriage” scenario and it caused huge problems.

You need to both stand together on this with him being firm.

Beautiful3 · 23/03/2024 12:12

I agree with you. You only really have 5 options:-
*Leave him (Too extreme and she'd "win".)

*Go and glare at her (making bad energy for you and your partner, who still has to interact with her over the kids).

*Tell your partner to tell her to pack it in, otherwise she'll be refused entry next time (might actually be the right thing to do?

*Say nothing and ignore (puts a dampener on your evening.)

*Don't go (feeling happier but seen as being unsupportive.)

I'd actually want my partner to warn her, and to stop her entry if she continues.

BeingIrked · 23/03/2024 12:57

Well I've told him. He says he's going to tell her she isn't welcome and not to go to the next gig or any future ones and that the venues will be told not to let her in if she goes anyway.

I'm a bit annoyed though. He gave a bit of, "I agree it's fucking weird and inappropriate but what can I do about it?" nonsense before I pointed out he could just tell her he didn't want her to be there because it was fucking weird and inappropriate 🙄

OP posts:
BeingIrked · 23/03/2024 13:05

He's messaged her. So guess we'll just wait for a response now.

OP posts:
SirChenjins · 23/03/2024 13:40

That’s good he’s contacted her - hopefully she’ll get the message loud and clear and stay away.

BeingIrked · 23/03/2024 13:55

I was slightly more irked when he revealed that she had actually done similar to his recent ex on a few occasions before lockdown (turning up to events they were at and staring aggressively at her). Obviously, lockdown curtailed social events and he and his recent ex split up not long after so it only happened a couple of times.

His ex was made to feel equally uncomfortable by it. I asked what he'd done about it. He said not much. He had told his exw to stop but she denied doing it and it didn't go any further

I asked if it had occurred to him to tell her to stay away from them. He said no 🙄

I told him he'd effectively taken his exw's side over his then partner by not doing so.

I just said I thought he was a bit spineless and that I was pissed off she was doing it to me but I was actually really angry about the fact she'd done it before and he hadn't told me when I said she was doing it to me and had expected to be able to carry on being passive about it!

I wouldn't let him say that I didn't know he was messaging but she'd made me really uncomfortable. I said that was effectively colluding with her behind my back. I told him that he needed to own it and that if he didn't want to tell her to back off then he shouldn't and at least we'd ll know where we stood.

I mean, he's actually great in every other respect but fuck me.

Grr.

OP posts:
Dontbeme · 23/03/2024 13:59

Good for you OP, but I would be worried about how passive he is. He seems to put his own comfort first without thought about how her actions (and his inaction) hurts you. I would be carefully waiting to see what happens next.

5128gap · 23/03/2024 14:02

It all sounds a bit too subtle to address. She's in a public place, filming a perfomer where filming is permitted, and dancing to the music in front of the stage, and she isn't engaging in a friendly manner with you. I'd really struggle to think of a way of challenging any of that. So I guess it's up to you whether going to the gigs is more important than her behaviour. Personally I'd not let her keep me away, I'd just have to try hard to ignore her.

MissHarrietBede · 23/03/2024 14:08

I think his ego loves having two women at a time, both of whom he's had sex with, gazing at him onstage, so was reluctant to shut it down.

BeingIrked · 23/03/2024 14:15

5128gap · 23/03/2024 14:02

It all sounds a bit too subtle to address. She's in a public place, filming a perfomer where filming is permitted, and dancing to the music in front of the stage, and she isn't engaging in a friendly manner with you. I'd really struggle to think of a way of challenging any of that. So I guess it's up to you whether going to the gigs is more important than her behaviour. Personally I'd not let her keep me away, I'd just have to try hard to ignore her.

Well now I've learned she actually did do similar to his recent ex, I'm definitely not going to ignore it.

I understand he doesn't like confrontation but allowing two partners to be disrespected and intimidated by his exw is beyond the pale for me.

The reason I've put off saying something to him is that I've been worried about him thinking I was the unhinged/jealous one. To find out she's done it before, he didn't stop it and he said nothing to me about it has really pissed me off tbh.

OP posts:
BeingIrked · 23/03/2024 14:16

MissHarrietBede · 23/03/2024 14:08

I think his ego loves having two women at a time, both of whom he's had sex with, gazing at him onstage, so was reluctant to shut it down.

I think he's just weak.

OP posts:
BeingIrked · 23/03/2024 14:18

He hasn't said whether she's read or replied.

I'm going to ask him. My confidence in him has been rocked by this and I'm not sure I'd trust him completely to have not deleted the message.

OP posts:
BeingIrked · 23/03/2024 14:19

Dontbeme · 23/03/2024 13:59

Good for you OP, but I would be worried about how passive he is. He seems to put his own comfort first without thought about how her actions (and his inaction) hurts you. I would be carefully waiting to see what happens next.

Yeah, I know...

OP posts:
Holls1983 · 23/03/2024 14:41

BeingIrked · 23/03/2024 14:18

He hasn't said whether she's read or replied.

I'm going to ask him. My confidence in him has been rocked by this and I'm not sure I'd trust him completely to have not deleted the message.

I really feel for you OP and you’ve been so mature and thinking logically throughout all this and to be honest that’s more than I would have been. I’d be extremely pissdd off that he kept from you that she has always done it especially with him saying he hasn’t noticed to you. BS!!!!! Well done for saying something and not backing down. When is the gig in question? I’m interested to know what she says back now! What did he text her?

BeingIrked · 23/03/2024 15:35

He basically just said that he didn't want her there. He thought her coming, dancing in front of him and filming him was weird and inappropriate as was glaring and trying to intimidate me.

I think her response shocked him a bit tbh - basically tough and she'll go if she wants to and do what she wants to. It was quite aggressive (which is exactly what I anticipated and why I knew the suggestions given on here wouldn't work).

So he told her he'd have the venues bar her if she turned up.

OP posts:
Mix56 · 23/03/2024 15:38

I suppose she will kick off. Its been years shes been on the territory offensive.

I would follow up with your P. If she got the message. There will be some sort of retaliation.
What does he plan to do if she does show up at next gig?
Can they really refuse her entry?
He, well actually you both, have to be by ready fir some kind of hysterics scene?

BeingIrked · 23/03/2024 15:43

Yep. Public venues but private businesses. They can bar whoever they like.

The ones she tends to turn up to, he is well known, well liked and well respected at. She is well known at but neither particularly liked nor respected.

But it would be easy enough for him to ask them to refuse entry to any others too.

OP posts:
Scottishskifun · 23/03/2024 15:54

@BeingIrked I get why your annoyed at him I also have a passive DH and it can really piss me off! Mine is in relation to his mum but he points out he can never win regardless. It will get twisted and used against him with other family members.
By the sounds of it he knows his exw well and probably was a big factor in not saying anything and just trying the ignore behaviour.
It's good that he's messaged her and been crystal clear. If anything it will leave her in no doubt of "winning him back".

Hopefully she will leave you all alone!

RetroPhonics · 23/03/2024 17:40

I think you've gone for the nuclear option here, by him telling her she would be barred by the venue if she tried to attend his gigs ! I truly hope she's not the spiteful type, because this could easily spiral into something bigger and far more menacing than her filming his gigs and giving you shitty stares. I don't understand why he would say this to her? it's not really going to calm an already tense situation, it can only serve to inflame things. Why on earth did he not try for an adult conversation and say that you were feeling uncomfortable with her behaviour and ask if there were any sort of problem she had with you and if so, how could you move past this yada yada...? Can you imagine how his kids are going to feel, that you the ' big bad new girlfriend ' has curtailed their mother's nights out, when she was ' only enjoying the music'? You know that's not how it is , but ultimately they will always have their mother's back. I'm sorry OP, but I think that's a bad move and one which I can only see as coming back on you as the 'trouble maker'.

Onlylonelyontheinside · 23/03/2024 17:50

Get a pair of scissors and join the band, just like the girl that plays with Noel Gallagher… lol

She will be raging, then just point and laugh at her..

seriously though she’s jealous,take it as a compliment and simply ignore the nutjob..

BeingIrked · 23/03/2024 18:39

Why on earth did he not try for an adult conversation and say that you were feeling uncomfortable with her behaviour and ask if there were any sort of problem she had with you and if so, how could you move past this yada yada...?

Thats the appproach he took when he spoke to her the first time when she (I have now learnt) did the same to his recent ex a few times.

She denied doing it and then continued.

It wasn't accidental, and if she hadn't been so hostile, then it wouldn't have required this however weird her turning up seemed. I'm not particularly comfortable with it. I'm not comfortable with any of it and neither is he. But people don't get to go round intimidating others without consequence.

She wouldn't be barred from those venues permanently; she just wouldn't be allowed in when he was playing.

OP posts:
Concannon88 · 23/03/2024 19:12

Onlylonelyontheinside · 23/03/2024 17:50

Get a pair of scissors and join the band, just like the girl that plays with Noel Gallagher… lol

She will be raging, then just point and laugh at her..

seriously though she’s jealous,take it as a compliment and simply ignore the nutjob..

Advice like this has got people killed. Do not take it as a compliment. Give her a fair warning and then back away from the situation of he doesn't sort it. She sounds delusional and unhinged.

BeingIrked · 23/03/2024 19:20

No, i agree. It's not a compliment.

And as for your 'has got people killed' comment. Yes, it has.

OP posts:
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