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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

18 months chatting but never met, now rumours online about him

344 replies

AlphaKat44 · 26/03/2026 12:46

Hey all!
I need some advice.
I've been involved with guy for 18 months, I connected with him on Hinge.
We've never met in person, only facetimed a couple of times, and its mostly Whatsapp.
He says the reason we haven't met yet in person is because of his anxiety, and his general mental health after witnessing several traumatic experiences.
He lives an hour away from me, but everytime he tries to drive over he has panic attacks behind the wheel when he gets to a certain place due to an accident where he and his mate were hit by a drink driver, and his mate was killed(It was a hit and run)
He also says he is "worried I won't like him" and constantly doubts himself because his previous relationship was volatile on her part, she cheated and when he confronted her she cut him.
Last week a person who I thought was a friend posted a picture I had showed her on Facebook (without his consent)
onto a group called "Are we dating the same guy?" and its made things worse for us.

Apparently this so called friend got anonymous comments on the posts from other women saying they had arranged to go on dates, and he never showed etc, but wouldn't tell me or show me the post/comments to "protect these womens privacy" so I asked him about it.
He told me that after we had a huge argument he went back on the dating sites as he thought we had broken up for good, and that yes he had reached out to other women but never went on the arranged dates.
He said it was because his love for me stopped him, and I'm the only woman he wants.
Ironically the post got deleted after my friend "told" me about it.
Was it malicious to try and drive a wedge between us?
We were really strong and now he is doubting himself again.

OP posts:
midlifeattheoasis · 26/03/2026 13:04

Are you for real?

BendingSpoons · 26/03/2026 13:04

Run away fast. He has panic attacks at a certain point? If this is true, there are many other solutions - you go to his, take another route, meet somewhere else. Get rid and find a person who is happy to meet up in real life!

AttilaTheMeerkat · 26/03/2026 13:05

You seem to be very vulnerable.

You’ve been sucked into a fantasy that is not real. Block and delete him now before you become mort hurt and over invested in a mirage.

VimesandhisCardboardBoots · 26/03/2026 13:05

You're not involved with him OP, you've never even met him! To be honest I'd be surprised if the guy you think you know even exists!

Why on earth would you waste your time with this for so long?

DoloresDelEriba · 26/03/2026 13:06

Thank you so much for this post OP. I was having a tough day but I'm now rolling around on the floor laughing hysterically.

ProudAmberTurtle · 26/03/2026 13:06

How can the relationship be "really strong" when you've never met him?

Annie202 · 26/03/2026 13:09

I wasted five years of my dating life on a man with exactly this story. Whilst I was waiting for him to be ready he had multiple women on strings. Don’t waste your time.

honeylulu · 26/03/2026 13:09

Broken up? You were never together because you've never actually met him, not one time. He might not even exist. I can't believe you've wasted 18 months on this pointless bullshit.

Have you listened to the Sweet Bobby podcast? I really think you should ...

Also your friend sounds horrible. Maybe she was exasperated and wanted to give you a wake up call but she's done it in a cruel, shitstrirring way.

Shinyhappyapple · 26/03/2026 13:09

I don’t think you can have a strong relationship with anyone you’ve not met and I would be very surprised if this actually goes anywhere for you. I think you need to put yourself back out there and start chatting to other people, preferably someone who lives closer and wants to actually meet up with you.

HugeMonstera · 26/03/2026 13:09

DoloresDelEriba · 26/03/2026 13:06

Thank you so much for this post OP. I was having a tough day but I'm now rolling around on the floor laughing hysterically.

Yes, it's cheered me up too! I think the 'I cannot drive an hour to you because I panic at a particular spot in the road' is a particularly brilliant excuse for 'I can't be bothered.'

OP, seriously, you are not 'dating the same guy'. You are not dating any guy. You've wasted a year and a half of your life chatting to someone you've never met who could well be married with six children in Llandudno or the Outer Hebrides. Ask yourself why that is.

KilkennyCats · 26/03/2026 13:10

You were in a “really strong” relationship with someone you’ve never met because he was too anxious to travel (why couldn’t you travel to somewhere neutral??)
This is bizarre in the extreme Confused

catipuss · 26/03/2026 13:11

Couldn't he take a different route to meet you so he doesn't get triggered, sounds like a very phoney excuse. Dump him he's really not worth the effort, and best he's very nervous and difficult, at worst he's a con man looking for sympathy (and possibly eventually money), you don't need either.

Seaoftroubles · 26/03/2026 13:13

Trust your friend OP, she has nothing to gain and was trying to protect you. He obviously playing you and has done it to others too. You've not even met him so you don't know him let alone love him. Be thankful he hasn't asked you for money... yet! Do yourself a favour and block him on everything.

Marmalade71 · 26/03/2026 13:14

OP I’m sorry but I think you need to seek psychological help. I don’t mean that unkindly at all, it’s just that you have not behaved rationally at all.

You do not know this person, you are not and never have been in a relationship with them.

Block and move on.

busyd4y · 26/03/2026 13:14

This sounds like a netflix documentary in the making, everyone will watch with dropped jaws thinking how the hell did she believe him

aquitodavia · 26/03/2026 13:15

Also your friend sounds horrible. Maybe she was exasperated and wanted to give you a wake up call but she's done it in a cruel, shitstrirring way

Hard disagree, sounds like she was desperate to help OP and find out the truth, and she has.

AgnesX · 26/03/2026 13:15

You're being well and truly had. Are you a bit mentally challenged or just desperate for a relationship.

Leaving the anxiety while driving nonsense out of the equation, what was stopping you from going to him?

Doseofreality · 26/03/2026 13:15

Why are you wasting time and energy over-thinking things about someone who can’t be arsed meeting you even once in 18 months:

needapokerface · 26/03/2026 13:18

Why don't you go visit him....then his anxiety at the part in the road would not effect him?

ThisSunnyBee · 26/03/2026 13:19

🚩🚩🚩

TwistedWonder · 26/03/2026 13:20

ChickpeaCauliflowerSalad · 26/03/2026 12:49

Oh my god, how can you even be bothered with all this nonsense. Stop wasting your life on this bloke.

This. Whether a waste of 18 months of your life.

You could have met someone else and be in an actual relationship in the time you’ve wasted flogging this dead horse.

Have you never seen Catfish?

TwistedWonder · 26/03/2026 13:21

busyd4y · 26/03/2026 13:14

This sounds like a netflix documentary in the making, everyone will watch with dropped jaws thinking how the hell did she believe him

Bring back Catfish

Omgblueskys · 26/03/2026 13:22

This can not be real 🫣

andweallsingalong · 26/03/2026 13:22

Literally OP, don't you deserve better?

At best you are in a relationship with someone who will evolve to being together and never going anywhere, unable to be a full partner or a parent. Who needed to access medical support and deal with his PTSD before getting in a relationship, but thought so little of you that he didn't and instead gives you scraps of himself. Who thinks that an argument is permission to cheat.

At worst... What everyone else says.

1983Louise · 26/03/2026 13:24

You can't be that desperate, no your worth and move on, what a waste of 18 months............