When some of us get dumped, we hide under the doona, feast on chocolate, or plot how to punish the person who broke our heart.
But when her husband of 26 years left her for a younger woman, WA entrepreneur Dianne Laurence decided the best way to get back at him was not to cut up his suits.
Instead, she set up a global site, Dumped Wife’s Revenge, showing her having the time of her life.
Followers can see her shopping in New York, posting selfies with Chris Hemsworth and Malcolm Turnbull, dancing nude at her vineyard, and hiking with young male guides.
‘Apparently… I sux as a wife,’ Dianne mocks on the site, peppered with glam photos of her in lingerie, in the ocean, and at exotic destinations.
‘I want to inspire other women who’ve experienced a dump of some kind – not necessarily over matters of the heart – to seize the day,’ Dianne tells New Idea, over a glass of wine at a luxury Perth hotel.
‘My message to my followers is, don’t allow someone else to have that much influence on how you feel. Just have a great time!’
It’s all a far cry from how she felt when she first learned her husband was seeing someone else nearly three years ago.
‘When he told me: “I no longer love you. I’m in love with another woman,” I was overwhelmed – in a state of shock,’ Dianne says. ‘Then I concluded: “This ex is no longer going to have an effect on my life.”’
Turning on her computer, she plotted her future as a woman in control of her own destiny.
‘Now I have young lovers around the world,’ Dianne adds with a sparkle in her eye. ‘Men my age can’t keep up with me!’
After finalising the divorce, selling her Margaret River vineyard and moving house, Dianne set off on an Italian holiday with pals.
‘I decided to say “yes” to every opportunity that comes along. So if someone phones to say, “join us in Capri” – I’m there!
‘I got much fitter, and I started to go on long hikes,’ she says. ‘Most of my friends can’t keep up with me, so I prefer to go with a fit young male guide for company!’
Dianne says the idea for Dumped Wife’s Revenge came after friends marvelled at how quickly she’d managed to get on with her life, despite the heartache she felt.
‘It’s not necessary for any woman to be down in the dumps for long, no matter what’s happened,’ she insists.
‘Even when I was at my lowest point, soon after the split, I made myself get up and go to the gym, to strengthen my body and mind for what lay ahead. And I’ve never looked back!
‘The key is to just stop thinking of the person who upset you, and to move on,’ beams Dianne, with a toss of her perfectly coiffed mane.
‘I like to challenge myself too. For years I’ve had nightmares about being attacked by sharks. So lately I’ve been plunging in the ocean to put that fear to rest!’
About to buy a drone, Dianne says her aim is ‘to learn something new and exciting every week’.
And she’s sharing all her adventures on social media as she goes.
‘Gosh, I’m having the best time of my life! I can’t see myself settling down with a man my own age again – I don’t want to be a nurse in the future to hip and knee replacements!’ Dianne adds, with a wink. ‘I’m free as a bird, and I can truly say I’ve never known such happiness!’
And though this successful businesswoman clearly has enough money to indulge her desire to live it up, she says:
‘You don’t need much cash to have a great time. I love nature, and art, and those things cost nothing to enjoy.’
Twice-divorced Dianne now says there’s no going back.
‘I’m so full of energy, I couldn’t go back to an older man now – and certainly not just one man!’ she exclaims.
Dianne, who has two adult children from her first marriage, says she wants to inspire her followers to live positive lives.
‘I’m getting so many letters from women saying I’m an inspiration. ‘I can see myself having my own TV show eventually,’ she beams. ‘Why not?’
Dianne’s tips for getting over being dumped
– Don’t allow him to keep having a negative influence on you. So when you want to stay in bed all day feeling sorry for yourself and shoving Tim Tams down your throat, just remember when you’re overweight and frumpy, he will be having the last laugh!
– What he did is a reflection on him, not you. What you do now will be a reflection on you.
– Whenever you have a negative, self-pitying or destructive thought, you must follow it up with two exciting and positive thoughts about your future.
– It may seem at times he has taken so much away from you – remember, he can’t take your dignity. You are the only one who can give that away.
– Ageless beauty comes from within. Eat well, exercise daily, turn every negative into a positive and live your life with purpose.
– Saved my favourite for last. Young lovers!
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