Can rules really CHANGE A CHEAT?

L[fapartner is unfaithful, trust can seem irreparable unless changes are made and new actions are implemented but...

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Whether to forgive a partner after they have cheated on you is one of the hardest decisions anyone in a relationship can make. News that actor Amy Nuttall has agreed to give her husband of 11 years, Andrew Buchan, 44, a second chance after he allegedly cheated on her with his co-star Leila Farzad, 39, will have divided many. But Amy’s decision comes at a price. It’s been claimed that the former Emmerdale star has issued Andrew with a set of rules he must keep to. As well as reportedly following the 7/7/7 theory – a concept relationship experts claim can help struggling marriages (see below) – she has apparently also imposed conditions such as having full access to each other’s phones and always video-calling when one of them is working away. The rules are certainly a brave move and, for some, may be seen as the only way to regain trust. But can imposing such strict commands ever really save a marriage broken by infidelity? One woman issued a similar set of rules after her partner cheated and reveals the impact they had…

‘I KEPT HIM ON A SHORT LEASH’

Writer Samantha Brick, 52, is married and lives in south-west France.

In my late 20s my then fiance and I lived in different cities. I was in London during the week while he was based in our home city of Birmingham. We’d meet up at the weekends for quality time together. I never gave much thought to what he got up to when we were apart. I trusted him and I like to think the feeling was mutual.