LETTER : Betrayal does not `diminish' the betrayed

WHEN Lesley Garner describes Helen Pennant-Rea as having "dwindled into a betrayed wife" ("Twin faces of a fast decade", 26 March) she insults not only Helen Pennant-Rea but also the rest of us who have been betrayed spouses. Why should being a victim of deceit be a sign of diminishment?

An outsider cannot possibly know why another person's spouse has conducted a clandestine relationship. Plenty of betrayed spouses are attractive, talented people who go on to form new and long-lasting relationships with other attractive, talented people. They certainly never "dwindled" into victimhood. Whether or not she sticks with her husband I don't see how Helen Pennant-Rea has "dwindled" either.

Virginia Low

London N1