She adored Dan*, her husband of two years, and was happy to make all the preparations for Christmas, while he concentrated on his new job.
But her happiness was shattered when she discovered he’d been busy making his own sordid preparations - to cheat on her at his office Christmas party.
Nearly three years on, Catherine has tried to move on with her life, but says Christmas will never be the same for her.
Shockingly, Catherine, 42, is not alone in her heartache. The festive season sees a staggering rise in the number of partners being unfaithful.
Worryingly, 15 per cent of people admit to having cheated on a partner with a work colleague at their Christmas party, while website Marital Affair [a dating website for married people] saw a 67 per cent rise in new accounts created on Christmas Day last year.
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IT manager Catherine, who has since divorced Dan and will be spending this Christmas with friends, says: “Dan was so attentive and I thought we'd be together forever.
“But now it all feels like a lie. If he could cheat on me at Christmas – a time for family – then I can’t believe in love any more. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to trust a man again. I haven’t had a relationship since.
“At Christmas everyone drinks and the festive atmosphere can make people throw caution to the wind. But there's no excuse for cheating, whether it's Christmas or not.
“When I tell people what happened, they always have a similar story of a friend or a family member.”
**To read more of Catherine's story, buy our Christmas *Closer, *out now.
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