BREAKING up is never easy to do — especially when you have to stay under the same roof. While nearly everyone is struggling with rising bills, and many with the threat or reality of redundancy or repossession, spare a thought for the poor souls stuck with an ex that they desperately want to get shot of. Here JUDY COGAN speaks to three S.T.I.N.T – Staying Together In Needy Times – couples.
Office worker Elissa Corrigan rents a two-bed flat in Liverpool city centre with her ex-boyfriend, medical rep Joe McMahon.The couple were together for 18 months but split in October after Elissa suspected Joe, 25, was cheating on her. They pay £800 between them in rent.
With six months on the tenancy agreement and a £1,300 deposit at stake, Elissa cannot afford to move out.
The 23-year-old says: “Joe was my first love. Seeing him every day is like picking at old wounds.”
The pair met in April 2007 when undergraduates at Liverpool John Moores University. A year later Joe suggested they move in together.
Elissa says: “I never really trusted Joe. But I thought he’d stop eyeing up girls once we moved in together.
“When I found flirty emails and texts from girls on his phone I thought ‘enough is enough’.”
When the couple split, Elissa laid down some ground rules.
She explains: “We don’t bring dates back to the house. Meeting someone new is impossible anyway. Any half-decent man would run a mile.
“We try to avoid each other. If we do watch TV, we sit in silence.
“With the economy in such a bad state it seemed sensible to stay put.”
Joe says: “I feel like I’m serving a jail sentence. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.
“My mates gave me a lot of hassle about moving in with Elissa but I loved waking up with her.
“Two months later, cracks began to appear. We argued over silly things. Elissa was convinced I was cheating on her. It was all rubbish. I stayed out to avoid our rows.
“I wasn’t prepared to move out. I want my own flat but I can’t afford it.
“I’ve met a couple of girls since our split but I would never tell them I live with my ex. It is too complicated.”
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