I’m self-isolating with my ex – he’s rude & keeps chatting to women on Tinder
AS the nation comes to a standstill, millions of couples are self-isolating at home. For new romances, that could mean taking things to the next level quicker than expected.
But what if you decided to SPLIT just as the pandemic took hold? Mum-of-two Georgia Armstrong, 24, is currently self-isolating with former partner Kyle Greener, 26.
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The pair broke up five weeks ago. But as the pandemic escalated, Kyle, a roofer, had to move back in three weeks ago to stay with Georgia and kids Oakley, seven, and Beau, four. They are already at breaking point.
Former carer Georgia says: “When Kyle and I finally split in February, it was a huge relief. He was moving in with a mate and I finally had the flat to myself. Then when the lockdown hit, Kyle and I suddenly faced a crisis.
“The friend Kyle had moved in with wanted his own family to stay, so we decided it would be better for him to move back in temporarily and sleep on the sofa.
“Being in each other’s face for 24 hours a day while looking after two kids in a two-bedroom flat is not easy. His work as a roofer stopped, as it’s non-essential. It’s been hell on earth.”
After meeting through school friends, Georgia and Kyle, from Wakefield, West Yorks, began dating in 2010 and lived together at her mum’s house.
In 2013, they moved into their own flat with son Oakley. Georgia says: “Being young parents was amazing. But meeting so young meant we’d never both really lived.
“There were times when we’d break up for a couple of weeks then get back together.
“In March 2015, we split up after three months of arguing.
“I started a short-term relationship and then got pregnant, but the relationship didn’t last.
“In February 2016, my daughter Beau was born.
“Kyle was a committed co-parent to Oakley and, within six months of Beau’s birth, we were an item again.
“He’s a great dad and this time Kyle and I worked harder at our relationship.”
But at Christmas 2019, it became clear the couple wanted different things.
Georgia says: “We agreed it was better to split, and Kyle moved out.
“We cried and blamed each other but vowed to put the kids first.
“It was amicable but then coronavirus hit and Kyle had to move back in.
“The first few days were OK.
“We agreed to split bills and share time equally with the kids. I drew up a list of chores for Kyle to do and we share meal times. But he got too comfortable too quickly, and now we’re at each other’s throat on an hourly basis.
“His bed is the sofa and, despite me telling him he has to put away the bedding by 7am to help with the kids, he is still lying there at 10am.
“The lounge smells of his aftershave all the time. I have started Febrezing him to wake him up.
“He has a bigger wardrobe of clothes than me. When he moved back he brought 15 boxes of clothes.
“He is obsessed with rugby and boxing. He’ll spend up to five hours a day watching repeats on the television or on his phone without headphones.
"And he spends more time than me in the bathroom. When he asked me to make him a cuppa while he soaked in the bath, I almost lost it.”
Home-schooling is also adding to the tension.
Georgia says: “We are splitting different lessons, which does help to relieve the stress.
“He’s good with the kids and we share their bathtime and bedtime routines. But we argue constantly — in the garden so the kids can’t hear.
“He can’t escape to the pub or the gym and I can’t go for a coffee or drink with my friends.
“He’s active on Tinder, now that he’s single, and he’s chatting to other women.
“I know it’s his right but every smirk when he reads a text makes me growl with anger.”
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It’s not been plain sailing for Kyle, either.
He says: “I thought it would be easy, but it’s not. We fight over who gets to go to the shops for emergency rations.
“I hate the way she chews. It puts my teeth on edge.
“She follows me around and cleans everything I touch — all day, every day.
“If she’s in the kitchen, I am banned. If I go in to make a brew, she starts telling me off for using the wrong mug.
“I’m not 12. I get the tutting and then the full-blown, ‘Kyle, we need to talk’.
“I have asked her to give me the living room for a night a week so I can have a virtual pub with my mates or a FaceTime date night with a girl I’ve been chatting to on Tinder — but she explodes.
"The kids are keeping us from killing each other.”
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