We were all dumped at Christmas – how we got through holiday heartbreak, from drinking gin to sobbing on the sofa
CHRISTMAS day can be a joyous time, but if cracks begin to appear in your relationship it can ultimately become a pressure cooker environment.
At best, this means petty family squabbles over who prepares the brussel sprouts or tidies up the discarded wrapping paper - and at worst it can spell disaster for rocky romances.
Here, three women exclusively share with Fabulous their holiday heartbreak stories - and how being dumped at Christmas actually turned out to be the best gift in the long-run...
'He spent Christmas with another woman'
Before marrying her husband, children's nursery owner Sharon Birch, 56, was unceremoniously dumped on Christmas day.
She says: "I was introduced to Chris* by my friend’s sister.
"She worked with him... He was recently divorced and I was single, and we were together about eight months.
"He was due to come to my house for Christmas - I’d decorated my house so much more than I usually did and bought lovely tasty goodies.
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"I bought a turkey, Champagne for a buck’s fizz breakfast when he arrived - the whole works.
"I’d bought him a watch and had spent a bit more than I should have but thought he was worth it.
"That morning I was so excited - but he didn’t turn up!
"I started to get anxious, and I couldn’t get hold of him.
"I called my friend, and she called her sister who was still a good friend of his.
"She rang me back to tell me he wasn’t coming, and he’d gone to another woman’s house for Christmas - someone he worked with and had been seeing for about the same length of time he’d been seeing me.
"I was devastated. I really thought we had a great connection, and this was going to turn into something more.
"I ended up giving the turkey away to someone who’d put a call out on Radio Essex and spent the day on the settee crying self-pitying tears with a bottle of gin.
"He knew how invested I was in our day together, having planned it and been so excited about it, and all along he had other plans with someone else.
"My friends were supportive and looked after me that New Year.
"I never spoke to Chris again, and our paths never crossed. I still think it was a rotten thing to do.
"New Year was a turning point and I vowed to pick myself up, be stronger physically and emotionally, and never let myself be vulnerable in a relationship again."
Left alone with no Christmas dinner
Artist and mum-of-three Saj Fareed, 49, was dumped on Christmas Eve.
She says: "I was single parent when I started to date Mike*.
"He was a lovely guy, very grounded, stable and we got along - he had even met my daughter.
"After about three months we decided to spend Christmas together and his parents were going to join.
"I was very excited, he was going to cook and we talked about what we were going to have for Christmas dinner.
"On Christmas eve we agreed that I would come over to his house and meet his parents as I had not met them yet.
"I bought lots of yummy mini pastries from a local French patisserie to bring along with me and went over with my daughter and met his parents, they were lovely and welcoming.
"I was full of excitement, I called Mike later that evening to check any last minute details for Christmas.
"He was in the pub watching football and seemed a bit off with me, which I thought was odd.
"He admitted that he needed space, and I genuinely didn’t see this coming.
"I was confused and asked what he meant and he said he felt we were going too fast and didn’t want anything serious.
"At this point, I asked why he'd invited me for Christmas? Why did he leave it so late to tell me, and basically lead me on.
"Our Christmas plans were ruined. I was so angry with him and slammed the phone down.
"I was so upset and had a good cry. I had nothing in the house for Christmas dinner and I didn’t know what to say to my daughter.
"I shared a post on facebook that evening saying ‘who else has been dumped on Christmas eve?’ and got a lot of supportive messages.
"I rang a friend of mine and told her what happened, and she invited us round to hers for Christmas dinner.
"I tried my best to be cheerful for my daughter but it was hard thinking about what had happened. It was such a gutless way to end things."
'He ignored my calls'
Emma Thomson, 32, owns her own jewellery business called .
She says: "I was with my ex Samuel* for just under three years, after we met down the local pub - he was also the first proper boyfriend I had ever had.
"After about a year he started to let me down at last minute when we had plans, and he started staying at work late.
"Christmas day was okay, it was just us two all day and we had dinner and opened our presents.
"There was tension between us though and we were both pretty quiet.
"On Boxing Day there was still tension, and he wasn't really speaking to me.
"We went round to my parents house with all of my family and he wasn't speaking to anyone and it was obvious he didn't want to be there.
"He ended up leaving, and after that he just kept ignoring my calls until I demanded an answer - and that was when he said he didn't want to be with me anymore.
"At first I actually was dreading New Year because I was so down. However I found a hobby of jewellery making to distract myself.
"I started making jewellery in the January, straight after Christmas and eventually it led to me starting my business.
"Going through that experience has enabled me to grow into a stronger, better person.
"I'm in an amazing relationship now with the most wonderful man and I have been for many years.
"I believe everything happens for a reason and that we should see the positives where we can."
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*Names are fake.
