DEAR Janice, my friend has told me in confidence that she’s seriously considering having an affair with a man she has met whilst walking their dogs during lockdown. They have been sending endless explicit text messages to each other and are planning to meet up as soon as the lockdown restrictions are lifted. She has a lovely husband and a young son, and I know he would be absolutely devastated if this came out. However, she won’t listen to me and I’m tempted to tell her husband, but I know this would end our friendship. Susan.

Dear Susan, you’re in an awkward position, but I’d urge you not to approach her husband. Even though your friend has confided in you, her marriage isn’t your responsibility.

Be honest with her and reinforce the enormity of what she would be throwing away for the sake of a few erotic text messages, as this will have disastrous repercussions for the whole family and friendship circle.

Try to get to the bottom of what she feels is so wrong in her marriage that is making her want to take such a risk. Encourage her to speak to her husband about how she feels and perhaps when she gets everything off her chest, she’ll realise it’s a solvable problem and she is better off letting her dog-walking sexting partner swap numbers with someone else.

And of course, remind her that if they do ever finally hit the sack and get to the stage of a physical relationship, after the euphoria of gratifying sexting, there’s a good chance of sexual disappointment on both sides. Sometimes salivating at the mouth-watering cake in the baker’s window is much more satisfying than the actual bite.

DEAR Janice, I have been online dating for a while now and thought I had finally found my perfect partner. We have never met up, but we have great banter and fun online and he ticks many boxes: single, financially secure, own flat, etc. However, he’s just told me that due to an accident he now wears a prosthetic lower leg. I am appalled at my negative reaction to this, but when I visualise him it’s putting me right off. How can I get round this? CJ.

Dear CJ, I am sure that this must have come as a bit of a shock when you first heard his news, but you seem to have some sort of old-fashioned vision that you’re hooking up with Long John Silver! Prosthetic limbs have come a long way over the past few years, and you have most likely met people wearing one and didn’t even notice. Some of the greatest athletes in the world wear prosthetic limbs, so life can go on unhindered. Even Barbie has one nowadays!

This guy sounds lovely and perfect for you, and if he is ticking all the other boxes you have on your list, then this should have no bearing on your future relationship.

You could ditch him and meet up with a two-legged pretty boy who could well turn out to be everything you don’t want in a partner, so embrace your fun-loving bionic man and all his wonderful qualities and remember, to insist on perfection means you need to be perfect yourself.

Dear Janice, I work with an older guy who is very opinionated which is driving me and my colleagues mad. Regardless of the subject matter, he butts in and takes over, and every conversation turns into another lecture. We try to reason with him, but he doesn’t listen and is beyond being offended. Our chit-chat whilst working is what helps us get through the day, but he puts a real dampener on it. Any suggestions? Tina.

Dear Tina, at least you can escape after work. Imagine what it must be like for his poor wife! It’s healthy to have opinions and stand up for what you believe in, but not without being open to other people’s views and opinions too. People like him will always find cracks in any input you have till you back off frustrated or feel like you want to grab him by the throat through sheer frustration. Remember, opinionated people have one view – their own, so no amount of reasoning will change his stance.

They also tend to have followers, not friends, so he will be unaware of how offensive he is being. Therefore, it’s up to you and your colleagues to take control of the situation by politely changing the subject every time he begins to rant, and if all else fails, make an excuse and just walk away time after time and perhaps at some point the penny might just drop.

Dear Janice, last week I cleared out my boyfriend’s bedroom drawers and threw out his old hole-ridden t-shirts, boxers and socks. To say he was less than pleased was an understatement. He can afford new clothes and is always immaculate when we go out so I’ve no idea what the big deal was. What did I do wrong? Maxine.

Dear Maxine, the key word in your email is “HIS”. These were HIS items of clothing to dispose of or keep as he saw fit, not yours. Imagine him rummaging through your drawers and chucking out items he thought were past their best. You say he is immaculate when you are out in public, so apologise and keep your hands-off things that don’t belong to you in future.

Got a question for our agony aunt? Email askjanice@glasgowtimes.co.uk