DEAR DEIDRE: I’M having a passionate relationship with my married cousin.

I am a woman of 38 and he is 41, but what will everyone say?

3 I'm having amazing sex with my married cousin... and I'm falling for him Credit: Getty - Contributor

People made my life difficult enough when I left my husband for another woman.

I was married for nearly 15 years. The marriage had its good points but I had fallen out of love with him when I got friendly with this woman I worked with.

She was the same age as me and at first, we were just close friends. But it turned into romance, much to our surprise.

She had never been in a relationship before and I had never previously been attracted to a woman.

3 After 15 years together, I left my husband for a woman I work with Credit: Getty - Contributor

I left my husband and went to live with her in a lovely cottage in a quiet village.

My family called me all sorts and I certainly found out who my true friends were. Some never spoke to me again.

Everything was great for five years, then we started to row over silly things.

She became really fussy about keeping the house tidy and never wanted to go out at weekends.

She was always sensible about finances but she started counting every penny and we had no social life.

I saw my cousin at a family wedding earlier this year. We always got on great.

3 But things got a bit stale between me and my girlfriend and I started an affair with my cousin Credit: Getty - Contributor

He is married but his wife has never mixed with the rest of the family. She’s a bit of a snob, to be honest, and she had a lot to say about me being with another woman.

We started an affair — a giddy, sexy one — and I left my partner for him.

He is still with his wife but is going to start a new job and find somewhere else to live when his son leaves home in a few months.

My head is so confused because we have fallen head over heels in love with one another.

But I hate to think what everyone will say when they find out I am now with my male cousin.

DEIDRE SAYS: You can’t live your life to suit other people but it is important to act fairly by partners and those close to us.

There is no legal bar to you having a relationship with your cousin or even getting married. But the fact that he is still married and living with his wife is an issue.

Tell him you will not be the other woman and will take a step back while he decides whether he can make his marriage work or not.

You are not going to lose sight of one another. If this is a serious love, it will keep while he sorts his life out.

And maybe what you most need now is a bit of time on your own – something you did not allow yourself when you left your husband.

My e-leaflet called Your Lover Not Free? will help you get a fresh perspective.

Get in touch with Deidre today Got a problem? Send an email to problems@deardeidre.org. Every problem gets a personal reply, usually within 24 hours weekdays. You can also send a private message on the DearDeidreOfficial Facebook page. Follow me on Twitter @deardeidre or write to Deidre Sanders, The Sun, London SE1 9GF (please enclose SAE).