As anyone in her situation would expect, Karen thought her fairytale wedding with Terry, a local builder four years younger than her, would be the start of a lifelong commitment with her new husband. But soon, she was about to discover life is not as picture-perfect as she imagined. Indeed, he ended up leaving her for one of her best friends of 25 years. But Karen was not ready to let go without an act of revenge, so when she decided to leave her wedding dress on their porch along with a note, their reaction was exactly as she wanted.
Their Happy Life Together
The pair were lucky enough to enjoy a good marriage, at least this is what it seemed from the outside. Karen and Terry had two children together and life was good. And they remained in wedded bliss for 19 years.
19 years is a long time to be together in anyone’s book. It’s something to be proud of and a sign that the two people must be in love. But after some time, some cracks began to show in this seemingly happy home.
The First Signs of Trouble
These issues didn’t appear all at once. In fact, it was just vague signs that Karen began to notice, and began to make her question if everything was as it should be in her marriage. And with nothing concrete to go on, she began to question her own judgment.
No one wants to think that there might be problems in their relationship. But it wasn’t too long before Karen had reason to be suspicious.
Changes in His Behavior
The first thing she noticed was changes in Terry’s behavior. Nothing drastic, again just little signs that something was different. He began coming home and changing his clothes into something more dressed up, telling her that he had to go back to work.
For some jobs, this might be a normal thing to do, but as Terry worked as a builder, it seemed unlikely that his work would need him in better clothes. It’s no wonder that Karen’s female intuition told her that something here was not quite right.
A Woman Knows
Karen explained in an interview, “He started coming home, having a shower and getting started up, and saying he was going to look at a job. I wondered what was going on because after living with someone for so long years, any little changes you notice.”
Her suspicions grew, but still, she didn’t say anything to her husband, instead preferring to see what other developments would occur. And when it came to Christmas time, there were a few more things that just didn’t add up for Karen.
The Christmas Presents
One of the unusual things that happened at this time is that Terry gifted her a diamond ring for Christmas. While women would be thrilled by receiving such a gift, for Karen it was just another sign that something was going wrong.
Karen expressed her concerns saying, “That Christmas he bought me a £700 diamond ring which just had guilt written all over it.” She had discovered the extravagant price when she came across the jeweler’s receipt, along with something even more troubling: a receipt for two bottles of the same perfume.
Who Is He Buying It for?
For Karen, finding this receipt was the definitive sign she needed that her husband and the love of her life was having an affair. She reasoned, “What he was thinking was, he will buy both of us Opium so when he comes in smelling of it it's my perfume.”
Still, she didn’t give away that anything was wrong, explaining, “So then I knew something was wrong. Something in me said: 'keep your eyes and ears open and mouth shut.'”
More Evidence Was Needed
Although she felt she now had proof, rather than confront Terry, Karen decided that she would bide her time. She ramped up her snooping to see if she could build more evidence against him.
She didn’t want to give Terry any signs she was suspicious, but there were still questions she wanted answers to. For one thing, she still hadn’t discovered who the other woman was. And when she would eventually find out this detail, it would be a terrible shock.
An Unexpected Revelation
But before Karen could discover all the details of the affair she was sure was taking place, Terry said something that made her move her plans forward, forcing her to take action and come face to face with reality.
Karen recalls, “Around Valentine's Day I remember him saying something like, ‘I don't know what I want to do with the rest of my life’ so I said, ‘I thought I was part of it?’ He said, ‘you are, but I don't know what I want to do, just give me time.’”
Her Feelings Begin to Change
This was all the reason she needed to take her future into her own hands and start making sure she was looking after her own needs. After all, why would she stick around for a man that wasn’t even sure if he still wanted her in his life?
Her feelings towards the so-called love of her life finally began to change. Karen remembers sadly, “I make a brilliant friend but a terrible enemy, and he was making such an enemy of me.”
Clearing Her Things
So she did the only thing she could think of in this situation, she started to remove Terry from her life before he could do the same to her. And that meant reviewing the life and the home that they had created and shared for 19 years.
She started going through the house and clearing out his things. Karen stated, “I thought, ‘You can have all the f***ing time you like, mate’ so I started making plans. I started getting rid of stuff, selling stuff.”
Still Living Together
Although these developments may seem dramatic and would signal the immediate end to any relationship, it’s not so easy to finalize things after being married for such a long time, and Karen and Terry continued to live together in their family home
It might have been an awkward arrangement but this provided Karen with the opportunity to get more information about his infidelity. And her plans all came to fruition when she managed to discover the password to his phone.
The Fateful Morning
She had tried to read his messages earlier but noticed that he had changed the code on his phone. Karen remembers, “He changed his pin number on his phone, which is another red flag.” Why would a man with nothing to hide change his password?
However, the troubled wife was finally able to get the information she needed by a completely chance event, as the two of them were lying in bed one morning. She explained, “He woke me up by moving to get his phone and something in my head said, 'mouth shut, eyes and ears open'.”
The New Password
Karen kept still and tried to act normal as she watched him unlock his phone with his new password. “I just looked up and I saw him put four of the same number in his phone, so I thought right, now we've got the pin number.”
Now she had the password she would be free to read his messages, but how could she get a hold of his phone without him finding out? She would have to find a time when he didn’t have it with him.
How to Get His Phone
And, indeed, Terry didn’t take his phone with him everywhere, like into the shower for instance. So one night as he was in the bathroom, Karen began to take action, almost without thinking about what she was doing.
She reveals, “One night it was like my body became possessed, I paused the telly and I heard him in the shower. I went out to the car, started it, left the door open.” The next step was to make sure Terry couldn’t follow her.
Locking Him Inside
The front door of their home was one that could be locked with a key, so after taking his mobile phone she locked the door and took the key with her, ensuring he would not be able to come running out after her.
With Terry safely trapped inside, she drove off to find somewhere private to read the messages. At last, she would have her answer – but it was not going to be one that she liked. Discovering the identity of the other woman would come as a terrible shock.
Reading the Messages
As she scrolled through her husband’s private messages – and there were plenty of them – she saw the sickening exchanges. Texts like, "I can't believe last night, it was wonderful", “Yeah we made up for not seeing each other”, “Don’t give her any ammunition”. The two even had pet names for each other such as “huggy bear”.
The worst was yet to come, however, when she realized that the woman who had been sending all these texts to her husband was none other than her best friend Carol. Karen simply couldn’t believe what she was reading.
The Shock of Discovery
Karen found it hard to accept the truth of this situation. How could her husband and her best friend do this to her? She had known Carol, an art teacher, even since before she had met Terry – the two women had been friends for 25 years.
Carol had been present at their wedding, the day when Karen married what she thought was the love of her life. Terry had even gone on to become friends with Carol’s then-husband and the two couples often socialized together. Even their children had become friends.
The Ultimate Betrayal
For Karen, this was the ultimate betrayal and the ultimate sign of disrespect. She revealed later in an interview, “It was the betrayal of a husband and a friend. Neighbors and friends knew about it and never told me.”
She went on to explain just how much the discovery had hurt her knowing that the affair had been going on for so long behind her back, “You can’t imagine how f*cking humiliating it is to have all these people know it’s going on and not say anything to you.”
Her Husband Calls
As she sat in the car contemplating what she had discovered, Terry rang her from the house phone. She answered angrily, “hello huggy bear, been shagging your s**g have you?” Not knowing that Karen could see his messages, Terry continued to lie and deny the affair.
But his lies fell on deaf ears. There would be no getting out of it for Terry now that his affair was exposed, and Karen could not forgive him or her so-called best friend. She explained, “I just think that's the lowest of the low. It's despicable.”
Planning Revenge
Rather than fall to pieces, Karen began to plot her next move. She knew that she wanted to get revenge on the pair of them for what they had done to her, but it was all about finding the best way to do it. After all, revenge is a dish best served cold.
“Don't get mad, get even”, she thought, “wait until he shows his true colors. [Carol] has no idea what she let herself in for. The grass is always greener on the other side.”
She Finds the Dress
As Terry moved out and she began to clear their possessions out of the house, she came across her wedding dress in the attic. And a plan began to form in Karen’s mind that filled her with excitement.
She realized this would be the perfect way to show her disgust for the two of them and for the marriage they had ruined. “I saw the wedding dress when I was packing up my house, and thought, ‘she can f***ing have this.’”
Her Dramatic Display
Karen decided she wanted to make the experience as humiliating for a friend as it had been for her. After all, this was a woman who had been cheated on and lied to for months, while all the neighbors knew what was going on. It still filled her with pain to realize she was the last to know.
So she drove to Carol’s house and left the strapless cream dress on the front porch for all the world to see. She proudly set up a display right outside the front door so that there was no doubt about exactly what it was.
The Sarcastic Note
For the finishing touch, Karen realized she needed a note to truly express her contempt for the pair. She penned, “Hey Carol, I know you love secondhand goods, so thought you might like the dress I wore when I married your boyfriend. Love, Karen xx.”
This act of revenge provided Karen with exactly the relief she needed, “Leaving a wedding dress and putting that note through the door I knew there was nothing they could do. I was shaking like a kid at Christmas with excitement. “
Cutting Off Contact
Karen didn’t wait to stick around to see what the reaction would be to her dramatic gesture. She had no wish to know anything about Carol and her cheating husband Terry from that day forward. She was still too shocked and hurt by their betrayal.
In fact, Karen made sure the pair could not contact her, by going as far as changing her phone number as soon as she left the wedding dress on the doorstep. Newspapers contacted Carol to see what her reaction had been, but she refused to speak to any journalists.
Terry's Response
Terry, on the other hand, had no problems telling the world how he felt about his life with Karen. He said in an interview after the event, “Ask [Karen] what she’s like to live with, and then you might get a real story on why people do cheat on her.”
The ex-husband appeared to have no shame about what he had done, even justifying his behavior by saying, “When you do eventually go and get in touch with her, tell her to go and get a life. How many people have affairs every single day of their lives? People have affairs every day.”
She Wants More
For Terry, it seems that having an affair was no big deal, but Karen remains sure that she did nothing to deserve what happened to her. She stuck up for herself saying, “I've got nothing to hide. That bird was a friend of mine for 25 years. I was with him for 19 years.”
She believes that she shouldn’t have to pay for the divorce, as Terry was the one that committed adultery. Sadly, he refused to do this, meaning Karen had to find another way of saying that she has moved on, changing her name by deed poll back to her maiden name ‘Dineen’.
The Pain of Betrayal
For Karen, it will always be the betrayal that caused her the most pain. She explained, “He never said, ‘Karen I don't love you, I don't want to be with you anymore.’ That would have been fine. That would have been a shock, but not as much as this.”
“If he had come to me and said I don't love you anymore and I don't want to be with you, I would have had a bit more respect for him. But the way he did it, with the lies and the sneaking around. He'd be sitting in the front room with me looking at text messages on his phone.”
Her Friendship Ruined
Of course, it wasn’t just her husband to blame, the fact that it was her best friend made it much worse too. She talks about her past with Carols stating, “They were my friends and when I met Terry, Carol's husband became friends with him. It's vile.”
Fortunately for Karen, she was able to make a clear-cut decision and not let her feelings get in the way. She revealed, “I don't miss him or love him or pine for him. As soon as I saw those text messages it was over. I knew it was over.”
Moving on
It has been four years since Karen discovered the involvement between her husband and her best friend, and although she has not spoken to either of them, she believes they remain a couple, “I do believe they are still together now. He'll be slowly chipping away at her.”
And for Karen herself, she has found someone special too. “I've been single for four years. When I chucked him out I got a chihuahua, who is cleaner, more loyal, and more faithful. I got the better end of the deal there. Win-win.”
Groom Stops the Wedding to Get Revenge on Bride
It's a famous line, one everyone knows when it comes to weddings. It's the line that solidifies the relationship and boldly asks guests to "speak now, or forever hold your peace." Usually, this is accompanied by roaming eyes and snickers from the guests, but what would happen if someone did stand up to say something? Imagine if someone rose up to stake their claim on the bride or the groom. But what if it wasn't someone from the audience that spoke up, what if it was the groom?
That is basically what took place at one wedding, but it wasn't at the altar. Instead, this clever groom waited for the perfect time to stage his revenge. After discovering his new wife cheated on him the day of their wedding, he took matters into his own hands and plotted his revenge on his new adulterous wife. With his friends and family all there he waited for the moment to let the secret out. If this all sounds awkward, imagine the guests at the ceremony and the family that couldn't take their eyes off the train wreck that happened before their very eyes.
What Better Place to Tell the Story Than on a TV Show?
There is a television show in Britain called The Graham Norton Show. It is hosted by none other than the grand comedian himself Graham Norton. The show is pretty straight forward with Norton inviting various guests to appear each week to talk about things in movies, and actors and such. For those in America, it's basically like Jimmy Kimmel.
However, Norman does have a cheeky side that draws out the naughtiness of those on his show. Of course, a little beverage helps to loosen tongues too. But it's not always celebrities that he pulls out juicy stories from, often he gets guests from the audience on the stage to let slip some personal tales.
The Big Red Chair
At the end the show, an audience member sits down with Graham and gets their shot at telling their story. Now if the story happens to be dull, Graham will flip the chair back causing the audience member to fall on his back. During one episode in 2016, a red chair guest took his place fairly confident to win the crowd and Norton over. Graham and the rest of his audience leaned in to listen to the tale with their ears perked and ready.
The man in the big red chair was Sean McInerney from Donegal, Ireland. With a mischievous grin on his face, Sean began to tell his story of a wedding he once attended. According to Sean it was a friend he wasn't close to but attended anyway to show support for the happy couple. Sean went on to state how he is socially awkward and wasn't fond of going to such events. Yet, he respected the invitation and decided to go, anyway. The smile stretched on his face as he stated how he was glad to go... sort of.
The (Seemingly) Perfect Day
It was the perfect wedding in every way. After the ceremony and the confetti thrown to wish the new couple a lifetime of bliss, the guests began to take their seats for the feast. It was the time when the food was being prepared and those giving speeches made their final adjustments. Little did the guests realize the smile on the groom was fake. The groom happened to have learned a huge secret moments before the wedding, but kept things under wrap as he plotted a way to get even with his new bride.
The secret came from multiple sources and even received burning evidence that his future wife cheated on him with not just one, but several, of his friends. With his mind blown and his heart crushed the groom wasn't sure what to do or how to feel. He was in denial and couldn't believe any of it. As rage swelled in him, he knew he had to keep his composure. With revenge on his mind, he knew the best way to serve it was cold. The groom remained calm and collected to play his role.
The Best Form of Revenge
Simply looking at his new wife made his stomach turn, but if he wanted his revenge, he would have to see his plan to the end. Keeping his cool, he pretended to his wife and guests that everything was fine. It was during dinner that his plan would come to fruition. The men his wife slept with would be all there attending the ceremony and that's when he came up with the perfect plan to expose all their dirty secrets at once. The groom wanted to see his new wife's face when he exposed her for what she was.
In order for his plan to work, the groom needed to know exactly where the men who slept with his new wife were seated. Before the ceremony, he slipped away to the banquet hall to figure out where each of them would be. Once the groom was located the men said to have slept with his new wife, he placed a red sticker on the bottom of their plates. But the groom knew if his plan was going to succeed he needed to keep a straight face. The men and the new bride were about to get the biggest shock of their lives and be exposed to everyone there.
A Twisted Game
As the ceremony winded down, and the guests took their seats for the meal, the groom clinked his glass to get everyone's attention. As the crowd settled the groom stated how he had an announcement. With a straight face he asked everyone to stand up. The guests rose as the groom kept his cool before announcing he wanted to play a little game.
Before the food was served, he asked his guests to flip over their plates to see if they had a little red dot on the bottom. For those with the dot, they were asked to remain standing. The guests looked around confused, but complied and began flipping over their dishes.
One Awkward Ceremony
One by one the guests sat down, those who remained glanced about the room only to realize the ones left standing were men. The other guests could see the men standing were clearly nervous as a sudden realization of what was coming dawned on them. Standing awkwardly the men continued to glance around the room until their eyes drifted to the new bride. Everyone in the room was confused as they waited on the groom to speak. Pushing the lump in his throat down, the groom cleared his throat and continued.
With tears in his eyes and a weary smile on his face, the groom announced that the men standing all had an affair with his wife. The crowd gasped as the men's faces blushed with embarrassment. Although the groom was clearly heartbroken, and fighting the urge to bolt from the room, he enjoyed every second of exposing them. The groom did exactly what he wanted to do despite the pain it caused him and he did it in the most spectacular way. Everyone was stunned as the groom continued.
Annulment Already Planned
The groom went on to say that he planned to annul the marriage that afternoon and how he couldn't be married to his adulterous bride. The fact the groom went through the ceremony simply to see the looks on his new wife's face and those she slept with was enough for him. The bride no doubted began crying along with her parents. And as the groom turned to his mortified new wife, he pressed his lips together and left without another word.
Shamed in front of all her friends and family, there weren't any words that would console the bride. She knew what she had done and everyone's eyes were on her. Guests quickly reached for the bottles in the center of the table to deal with the awkwardness of the groom's announcement. All the life of the party was sucked out of the door as the groom exited the building. "They have slept with my wife since we've been engaged'" said the betrayed groom sitting in the red chair "I am now going for an annulment."
A Stroke of Genius, or a Brush of Craziness?
It's clear that a heartbroken man can and will do pretty crazy things. Especially when given enough time to execute the plan. With timing running out on what to do about his new bride's infidelity the groom had no choice but to take matters into his own hands. He managed to turn his pain into something unforgettable that also allowed his new wife a taste of her own medicine.
The pain the groom's actions did cannot be underplayed or ignored. After all, the groom did just find out he was about to marry someone he didn't really know or loved him as much as he thought she did. The wife didn't just sleep with one man, but several men before her wedding day. To add salt to the wound, the men she slept with were all the groom's closest friends. Clearly, he was heartbroken, and love oftentimes makes one do crazy things.
The Same Reaction
As Sean finished up his story on The Graham Norton Show, it was clear the audience on the show was in awe. But the question remains, did Sean get flipped, or did he get to walk out of the room with his pride intact? With a standing ovation from one of the guests on the show, Sean got to walk. Others in the audience though stared on in amazement trying to wrap their heads around the story. It may not have been a heartwarming story for those who lived through the experience, but it was a great story, nonetheless.
Some wonder if Sean's story was the best Big Red Chair story ever to air. It was clear by Graham Norton's reaction that even he was taken back by Sean's wedding from hell. Norton roared into a fit of laughter at Sean's story. The show ended on another hilarious note.
Online Reactions
The Graham Norton's Show pulls in over a million views each night it airs so it's no surprise that social media exploded after Sean's story. Viewers of the show quickly turned to social media sites like Twitter to express their views on the situation. It's clear the bride of the story got what she deserved in the most stunning way possible. Not only was the bride called out for her actions, but the men she slept with too. All exposed in one moment of glory for the groom.
Some viewers took to social media to challenge stereotypes stating how women can be cheaters too. Sean's story just goes to show that men aren't always at fault or the serial offenders that so many claim them to be. Although it's often believed that men are always the ones with the cheating problem, Sean's story was able to flip that norm on its head. Of course, social media was filled with comments and questions from viewers wanting to know more about the tale.
A Well-Deserved Serving of Revenge
Some wonder what became of the bride after all was said and done? And what happened to the men standing? After all, they were the groom's best friends. Did they even try to make amends? And what about the parents? Did they scold the bride? Or shun her from the family after her secret came out? There is clearly more to this story that needs to be told, but the only one who has the answers is Sean.
Despite the heartache that came from exposing his wife, we all have to give the groom a round of applause and a pat on the back. To the groom, you are a hero for exposing that which needed to be said in such a well manner. You showed grace through your pain and did it in such a creative manner that deserves to be acknowledged. The way you served up revenge was not only swift, but fair and justified, so well done.
Eight Different Men
One of the most shocking parts of the story was the number of men left standing. It wasn't just one or two men left wondering what was going on, but eight. After the groom's little trick, there were eight men glancing around the room wondering what was going on. We can't help but wonder if the men left standing thought they were the only ones the bride had been with.
With so many men, we can't help but wonder why the bride went along with the wedding in the first place. If all she wanted to do was have fun, why settle down with one man? Maybe she thought she could continue after the wedding. But what of the groom? Why did he continue with the wedding? Clearly the bride has some unresolved issues or some wild hair to comb out before getting married. But still, she was engaged, so technically not available for other men to take. Yet, she did and still went along with the wedding.
Tell It Again
Out of all the people that heard the story, there was one beside Graham Norton who was fairly impressed. YouTuber Jason Gunn was so impressed by Sean's story that he called Sean to have him tell the tale again over his podcast. Laughing the whole time, Gunn already knew how it ended, but Sean continued to rehash the story for Gunn's audience. After the story was told, Gunn thanked Sean for telling his story again and Sean simply said it was a pleasure.
Is it possible the groom could have found another way to handle his bride? Perhaps, but he didn't show any anger or violence towards her in the end. He simply walked away. Although everyone loved Sean's story of the wedding, it wasn't exactly his to share. Some wonder if Sean told the story to get a spot on television. In the end, though it makes you wonder if it was necessary to bring up that painful situation again.