Following boyfriend Alex Mytton’s cheating scandal and the concern from her friends over the state of their relationship, Binky appeared to explode in an uncontrollable rage, telling her friends that they had no business in her and Alex’s attempts to save their romance.
Over the course of the series, we watched as one by one, Binky cancelled her friendships on the basis that her mates weren’t ‘supporting’ her relationship with Alex. She went as far as accusing her own mother of refusing to speak to her because of Alex- even resident love rat Spencer Matthews was appalled by this!
Binky’s story raises the question: Is it ever okay to ditch your mates in an effort to salvage a relationship?
As Lucy Watson put it in the series, ‘it’s never just between you and the guy you’re seeing,’ and what she’s saying is completely accurate. Unless you move to a deserted island- which funnily enough Alex jokingly suggested in the finale episode- then there will always be other people in your relationship, be it loved ones or not-so-loved ones.
As anyone who has watched a close friend or a member of their family descend into a dysfunctional relationship knows, the misery doesn’t just stay behind closed doors. The ongoing ripples of a deteriorating relationship can actually really negatively affect your friendships and your other relationships, as Binky soon found out.
What Binky will soon realize is that she can easily live without Alex, but it’s really, really hard to live without your friends. Surrounding yourself with ‘yes’ people doesn’t work as an appropriate friendship substitute, and denouncing your mates because they voice their concerns about your future is not a reason to cut them off.
It’s important to add that it is perfectly okay to keep your relationships separate from your friendship group, but the point is your friendships will ultimately suffer if you turn up to lunch dates sobbing into your salad about what you’re ‘d***head’ boyfriend has gone an done and expect your mates not to have an opinion about it.
If a girlfriend is purposely coming between you and the guy you are dating, then it might be time to re-evaluate your friendship.
If you find yourself siding with a boyfriend who continues to treat you badly over a friend who is trying to look out for you, then perhaps you need to re-evaluate your relationship...