-
1 week ago | 
dailymail.co.uk | Bel Mooney
Dear Bel,I was brought up in a volatile household, scared of my mother. My parents often fought – verbal and physical abuse. Arguments went on all night, so fierce at times my brother and I called the police. Dad used self-defence to protect himself. Mum would bring up his every past transgression and I heard things no child should about their parents. It was painful to see her hurt Dad – ripping up precious old photos of his family or disposing of thoughtful birthday presents I'd helped choose.
-
1 week ago | 
dailymail.co.uk | Bel Mooney
Dear Bel,How to come to terms with memories of the awful person you once were? I've been married for ten years to my wonderful second husband and we live a very contented life. To be honest, I've gone off sex but it doesn't affect our relationship at all. He's not bothered. My first marriage, which lasted 25 years, was marked by infidelities. Not just him – me too. We were very young and full of progressive ideas (at least, we thought they were) about 'freedom'.
-
2 weeks ago | 
dailymail.co.uk | Bel Mooney
Dear Bel,Widowed quite young, I moved next to a nice neighbour who introduced me to her step-brother Jim and five step-sisters. The girls were standoffish but Jim was lovely. Eight years later, he and his wife split – and later he asked me for a date. I wasn’t looking for romance but he persuaded me to give him a try. He’s the nicest, kindest man I’ve ever known. We don’t live together (health problems) but see each other every day and consider ourselves a couple. But his sisters are still hostile.
-
3 weeks ago | 
dailymail.co.uk | Bel Mooney
'I Humbly Beg Your Speedy Answer': Letters on Love and Marriage from the World's First Personal Advice Column by Mary Beth Horton (Princeton University Press £20, 216pp) 'I Humbly Beg Your Speedy Answer' by Mary Beth Horton is available nowIt happens all over the world, where humans are perplexed and often made miserable by knotty problems thrown their way by life. People in trouble fret and question, desperately hoping for answers. They lie awake at night, wondering what on earth to do.
-
4 weeks ago | 
dailymail.co.uk | Bel Mooney
Dear Bel,I’m writing about my 13-year-old daughter, although the problem is far more mine than hers. But she’s talked to me about this and last night I found myself so anxious I couldn’t sleep. Tina was officially diagnosed with autism a year ago. I’ve had to learn a lot about this condition by reading books, for example.
-
1 month ago | 
dailymail.co.uk | Bel Mooney
Dear Bel,My boyfriend and I have good friends who have just had a baby. They are understandably thrilled and happy. I’m happy they’re happy, but I’m not happy about the baby because really it means nothing to me. I feel pretty indifferent about the whole thing and am fed up with all the sentimental fuss about babies. Everyone else in our social group (all in their 30s) seems to be excited, but I simply don’t understand. The trouble for me is the way our friends have changed.
-
1 month ago | 
dailymail.co.uk | Bel Mooney
Dear Bel,I am in a relationship with a wonderful man who is kind, thoughtful, intelligent and would do anything for me. His business was decimated by Covid and never really recovered so he doesn’t have much money to spare. We don’t live together but spend weekends and one evening a week together. Just one thing is driving a wedge between us – he drinks extremely heavily. He never appears drunk and is in complete denial about the volume and expense of his drinking.
-
1 month ago | 
dailymail.co.uk | Bel Mooney
Dear Bel,This is so hard to explain but I don’t know what to do. When I was 25 I married a man 27 years older than me. Yes, we’d had a big affair, and he left his wife and two teenage boys to be with me. It was a difficult time, but we came through and had the wedding of my dreams. We loved each other; my husband was a huge success with his creative business; we lived very well, with regular, wonderful holidays. Although he had on-going problems with his ex and her children, we were happy.
-
2 months ago | 
dailymail.co.uk | Bel Mooney
What Can Art Tell Us About Love by Nick Trend: Want to understand art? It's all about loveBy BEL MOONEY Published: 19:01 EDT, 5 April 2025 | Updated: 19:01 EDT, 5 April 2025 What Art Can Tell Us About Love by Nick Trend (Laurence King £18.99, 208pp) What Art Can Tell Us About Love is available now from the Mail BookshopWhat do we think was in the Mona Lisa’s heart when that subtle smile played on her lips? Might she have felt she had him in her power – and felt a spurt of triumph?
-
2 months ago | 
dailymail.co.uk | Bel Mooney
Dear BelI’m now a shell of a man – 45, divorced (eight years) with two children, living in a sh** flat. Once I had a lovely house and family life and although there were problems, I was still happy. My wife found the kids hard work; I helped all I could but it was never enough. She called me ‘selfish’ even though she had a nice life lunching with friends etc. We couldn’t have proper sex (an intimate problem), but I loved her in other ways. Then rows and recriminations wore me down.
