{"id":1760442,"date":"2026-02-11T12:56:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T09:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1760442"},"modified":"2026-02-11T12:56:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T09:56:00","slug":"what-to-do-and-not-do-if-you-get-caught-cheating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1760442","title":{"rendered":"What to do (and not do) if you get caught cheating"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1023\/0-0-1023-682\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436965.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article standard \">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/life-culture\/article\/69613\/1\/what-to-do-caught-cheating-sturla-holm-laegreid-winter-olympics\" data-article-id=\"69613\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-landscape-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img has-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.5\" data-template=\"Standard Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Bronze medalist Sturla Holm Laegreid of Team Norway\" class=\"img\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1024\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436965.jpg\" width=\"1024\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"inner\"><span class=\"credit\">Photo by Alexander <span class=\"nowrap\">Hassenstein\/Getty Images<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-02-11T12:56:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"11 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"11\">11,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - life-culture\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\">Life &amp; Culture<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"standard-tag-container\"><a class=\"standard-category\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\">Life &amp; Culture<\/a> \/<br \/>\n<a class=\"standard-series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>What to do (and not do) if you get <span class=\"nowrap\">caught cheating<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>After Norwegian athlete Sturla Holm Laegreid stunned the world with an on-air confession during the Winter Olympics, we break down how to behave after <span class=\"nowrap\">committing infidelity<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-02-11T12:56:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"11 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"11\">11,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-02-11T12:56:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"11 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"11\">11,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/JamesGreig\">James Greig<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>This week, Norwegian biathlete <a href=\"https:\/\/news.sky.com\/story\/olympian-sturla-holm-laegreid-admits-to-cheating-on-girlfriend-after-medal-win-13505853\">Sturla Holm Laegreid<\/a> delivered one of the most bizarre Olympic moments ever when, while accepting a bronze award, he confessed on-air to having cheated on his girlfriend. Like many others, I was relieved to learn that he\u2019d already told her about this, and that she wasn\u2019t learning about it at the same time as millions of strangers all over the world. But I screamed with horror when he went on to clarify that the relationship had ended a week before, making this a desperate bid to win her back. Strula, br\u00f8ther, what the devil are you playing at\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>His girlfriend responded this morning in Norwegian paper <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vg.no\/sport\/i\/Gx3rJJ\/sturla-holm-laegreids-kjaereste-snakker-ut-etter-laegreid-melding\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">VG,<\/a><\/span><span> admitting that it was \u201chard to forgive, even after such a public declaration of love\u201d and that she didn\u2019t \u201cask to be put in this position\u201d. <\/span><span>While this is all quite bizarre, it is really only a more visible, high-profile version of how lots of men (and it is mostly men) behave after being unfaithful. Here at Dazed, we take a strong stance against cheating, and it\u2019s in a spirit of solidarity with its victims that we write the guide below. If you\u2019ve been caught with your pants down, here\u2019s what to do, and what not to do.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"instagram-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-instagram\" data-script-depends=\"instagram-embeds\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<h2 data-innertext=\"go back in time and don\u2019t cheat in the first place\"><span>GO BACK IN TIME AND DON\u2019T CHEAT IN THE FIRST PLACE<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Cheating is <em>wrong<\/em>. End of story.<\/p>\n<h2 data-innertext=\"if it\u2019s over, accept it\">IF IT\u2019S OVER, ACCEPT IT<\/h2>\n<p><span>\u201cEveryone deserves a second chance\u201d is a nice idea, but the reality is that actions have consequences, some mistakes are irreversible, and being cheated on is one of the most legit reasons to end a relationship. You can reach out to someone once, maybe twice<\/span><span>, but if they\u2019ve made it clear they don\u2019t want to talk, then you just need to live with the regret. Toss your hair in a manbun, drink some bourbon, put on some Jelly Roll \u2013 and handle it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 data-innertext=\"avoid grand romantic gestures\">AVOID GRAND ROMANTIC GESTURES<\/h2>\n<p><span>Romantic comedies have taught us that the most surefire way of fixing a broken relationship is to make a splashy public display of your feelings, and this is an effective trope in cinema \u2013 the scene in <em>Rye Lane <\/em>when Vivian Oparah cruises down the Thames with a megaphone to declare her love for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/article\/68562\/1\/david-jonsson-autumn-2025-the-long-walk-caleb-femi\"><span>David Jonsson<\/span><\/a><span>, for example, will always leave me misty-eyed. But in real life, this strategy is likely to be embarrassing and even kind of coercive \u2013 remember the guy who committed to playing the piano in a square in Bristol every day until his ex took him back? I\u2019m not sure we ever heard her side of the story, but <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.standard.co.uk\/news\/uk\/piano-man-who-vowed-to-play-on-until-his-exgirlfriend-returned-is-punched-a3632856.html\"><span>apparently <\/span><\/a><span>the effort was \u201cspectacularly unsuccessful\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>If you really must make a romantic gesture, it would be better to send them some flowers or an expensive fragrance they like. That way, even if they don\u2019t want to take you back, they at least get something nice out of the experience, and can soothe their broken heart with a refreshing mango or a blast of Le Labo Another 13.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 data-innertext=\"don\u2019t play the victim\"><strong>DON\u2019T PLAY THE VICTIM<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span>No one is going to feel sorry for you, no matter how many reels you repost portraying yourself as a misunderstood sigma or a member of the <\/span><em><span>Peaky Blinders<\/span><\/em><span>. In her essay <\/span><em><span>On Self-Respect<\/span><\/em><span>, Joan Didion writes that people with self-respect \u201chave the courage of their mistakes [&#8230;] <\/span><span>If they choose to commit adultery, they do not then go running, in an access of bad conscience, to receive absolution from the wronged parties; nor do they complain unduly of the unfairness, <\/span><em><span>the undeserved embarrassment,<\/span><\/em><span> of being named corespondent.<\/span><span>\u201d That\u2019s the energy you should be moving with. Yes, it sucks that you blew your life up through your own fecklessness and poor impulse control, but the only way to salvage any dignity from the situation now is to keep it zipped.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"instagram-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-instagram\" data-script-depends=\"instagram-embeds\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<h2 data-innertext=\"figure out why you cheated\"><span>FIGURE OUT WHY YOU CHEATED<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span>There\u2019s no point in apologising and promising to change if you haven\u2019t got to the root of the problem. This isn\u2019t about evading responsibility or blaming your behaviour on factors beyond your control (\u201cit\u2019s actually very common for people with ADHD to cheat\u201d) but about trying to be a better person so that you don\u2019t hurt anyone else in the future. Maybe you need to go to therapy or a SLAA meeting; maybe vanquishing your lustful feelings by accepting Jesus Christ into your heart is the way to go.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 data-innertext=\"don\u2019t find happiness\"><span>DON\u2019T FIND HAPPINESS<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span>Probably the worst thing you can do to your partner is leave them for the person you cheated on them with, and then enjoy a long, happy and sexually fulfilling relationship. I really don\u2019t think you deserve that, do you? If this scenario does arise, you should have the decency to be discreet: no photo-dumps of city breaks to Marseilles, no Valentine\u2019s Day IG stories about how you never thought you\u2019d find someone who gets you like this, and definitely no implying that you and your new squeeze are the Bonnie and Clyde of Brockley (\u201cit\u2019s me and you against the world, babe\u2026\u201d) If you were actually sorry, you would embark on a highly visible crashout and glow-down, for the first six months at least.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. 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Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>This week, Norwegian biathlete <a href=\"https:\/\/news.sky.com\/story\/olympian-sturla-holm-laegreid-admits-to-cheating-on-girlfriend-after-medal-win-13505853\">Sturla Holm Laegreid<\/a> delivered one of the most bizarre Olympic moments ever when, while accepting a bronze award, he confessed on-air to having cheated on his girlfriend. Like many others, I was relieved to learn that he\u2019d already told her about this, and that she wasn\u2019t learning about it at the same time as millions of strangers all over the world. But I screamed with horror when he went on to clarify that the relationship had ended a week before, making this a desperate bid to win her back. Strula, br\u00f8ther, what the devil are you playing at\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>His girlfriend responded this morning in Norwegian paper <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vg.no\/sport\/i\/Gx3rJJ\/sturla-holm-laegreids-kjaereste-snakker-ut-etter-laegreid-melding\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">VG,<\/a><\/span><span> admitting that it was \u201chard to forgive, even after such a public declaration of love\u201d and that she didn\u2019t \u201cask to be put in this position\u201d. <\/span><span>While this is all quite bizarre, it is really only a more visible, high-profile version of how lots of men (and it is mostly men) behave after being unfaithful. Here at Dazed, we take a strong stance against cheating, and it\u2019s in a spirit of solidarity with its victims that we write the guide below. If you\u2019ve been caught with your pants down, here\u2019s what to do, and what not to do.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"instagram-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-instagram\" data-script-depends=\"instagram-embeds\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<h2 data-innertext=\"go back in time and don\u2019t cheat in the first place\"><span>GO BACK IN TIME AND DON\u2019T CHEAT IN THE FIRST PLACE<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Cheating is <em>wrong<\/em>. End of story.<\/p>\n<h2 data-innertext=\"if it\u2019s over, accept it\">IF IT\u2019S OVER, ACCEPT IT<\/h2>\n<p><span>\u201cEveryone deserves a second chance\u201d is a nice idea, but the reality is that actions have consequences, some mistakes are irreversible, and being cheated on is one of the most legit reasons to end a relationship. You can reach out to someone once, maybe twice<\/span><span>, but if they\u2019ve made it clear they don\u2019t want to talk, then you just need to live with the regret. Toss your hair in a manbun, drink some bourbon, put on some Jelly Roll \u2013 and handle it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 data-innertext=\"avoid grand romantic gestures\">AVOID GRAND ROMANTIC GESTURES<\/h2>\n<p><span>Romantic comedies have taught us that the most surefire way of fixing a broken relationship is to make a splashy public display of your feelings, and this is an effective trope in cinema \u2013 the scene in <em>Rye Lane <\/em>when Vivian Oparah cruises down the Thames with a megaphone to declare her love for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/article\/68562\/1\/david-jonsson-autumn-2025-the-long-walk-caleb-femi\"><span>David Jonsson<\/span><\/a><span>, for example, will always leave me misty-eyed. But in real life, this strategy is likely to be embarrassing and even kind of coercive \u2013 remember the guy who committed to playing the piano in a square in Bristol every day until his ex took him back? I\u2019m not sure we ever heard her side of the story, but <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.standard.co.uk\/news\/uk\/piano-man-who-vowed-to-play-on-until-his-exgirlfriend-returned-is-punched-a3632856.html\"><span>apparently <\/span><\/a><span>the effort was \u201cspectacularly unsuccessful\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>If you really must make a romantic gesture, it would be better to send them some flowers or an expensive fragrance they like. That way, even if they don\u2019t want to take you back, they at least get something nice out of the experience, and can soothe their broken heart with a refreshing mango or a blast of Le Labo Another 13.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 data-innertext=\"don\u2019t play the victim\"><strong>DON\u2019T PLAY THE VICTIM<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span>No one is going to feel sorry for you, no matter how many reels you repost portraying yourself as a misunderstood sigma or a member of the <\/span><em><span>Peaky Blinders<\/span><\/em><span>. In her essay <\/span><em><span>On Self-Respect<\/span><\/em><span>, Joan Didion writes that people with self-respect \u201chave the courage of their mistakes [&#8230;] <\/span><span>If they choose to commit adultery, they do not then go running, in an access of bad conscience, to receive absolution from the wronged parties; nor do they complain unduly of the unfairness, <\/span><em><span>the undeserved embarrassment,<\/span><\/em><span> of being named corespondent.<\/span><span>\u201d That\u2019s the energy you should be moving with. Yes, it sucks that you blew your life up through your own fecklessness and poor impulse control, but the only way to salvage any dignity from the situation now is to keep it zipped.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"instagram-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-instagram\" data-script-depends=\"instagram-embeds\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<h2 data-innertext=\"figure out why you cheated\"><span>FIGURE OUT WHY YOU CHEATED<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span>There\u2019s no point in apologising and promising to change if you haven\u2019t got to the root of the problem. This isn\u2019t about evading responsibility or blaming your behaviour on factors beyond your control (\u201cit\u2019s actually very common for people with ADHD to cheat\u201d) but about trying to be a better person so that you don\u2019t hurt anyone else in the future. Maybe you need to go to therapy or a SLAA meeting; maybe vanquishing your lustful feelings by accepting Jesus Christ into your heart is the way to go.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 data-innertext=\"don\u2019t find happiness\"><span>DON\u2019T FIND HAPPINESS<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span>Probably the worst thing you can do to your partner is leave them for the person you cheated on them with, and then enjoy a long, happy and sexually fulfilling relationship. I really don\u2019t think you deserve that, do you? If this scenario does arise, you should have the decency to be discreet: no photo-dumps of city breaks to Marseilles, no Valentine\u2019s Day IG stories about how you never thought you\u2019d find someone who gets you like this, and definitely no implying that you and your new squeeze are the Bonnie and Clyde of Brockley (\u201cit\u2019s me and you against the world, babe\u2026\u201d) If you were actually sorry, you would embark on a highly visible crashout and glow-down, for the first six months at least.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/69613\/1\/what-to-do-caught-cheating-sturla-holm-laegreid-winter-olympics&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1023\/0-0-1023-682\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436965.jpg&#8221;] Photo by Alexander Hassenstein\/Getty Images February\u00a0 11,\u00a0 2026 Life &amp; Culture \/ Feature Life &amp; Culture \/ Feature What to do (and not do) if you get caught cheating After Norwegian athlete Sturla Holm Laegreid stunned the world with an on-air confession during the Winter Olympics, we break down how to behave [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-1760442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1760442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1760442"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1760442\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1760442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1760442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1760442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}