Ask Allison: I told my friend something in confidence and she told her husband, who gossiped. How can our friendship survive?

Allison Keating answers your queries about life and relationships

When confidences are revealed or trust is broken, it is hard to restore the friendship. Picture: Getty

Allison Keating

Question: I have a close friend of many years whom I confide in. She is married to someone who is in a friend group with my brother. I have recently heard from my brother that something I told her had been relayed to my brother through her husband, in a rather casual, gossipy way. There are lots of connections between various groups so this confidence may have gone quite wide. I am very conflicted on whether to say anything. On the one hand, I am not too upset that she told her husband something as they are married, but on the other hand he obviously thought nothing of repeating it. Maybe it was my mistake in being too open. If I discuss something with someone I am putting it into the universe so maybe it is myself I am angry and disappointed with. So who is at fault here? Whatever the right and wrongs, my trust in her is gone and I will be very limited in what I share in the future. Is it worth having it out? And what are the rules in terms of confidences?

Allison replies: Blame and fault finding won’t bring what you shared back — this is meant from a purely practical point of view. Regret is such a tough experience but getting stuck in it and ruminating only makes things worse. I can hear that you are very uncomfortable with what has happened and for the possible consequences and fall out for the people involved.