Exclusive | What is an emotional affair? Heres why RFK Jr. and Olivia Nuzzis relationship could be the ultimate betrayal
Engaged NY Mag political reporter Olivia Nuzzi stunned the political world when she confessed to having an inappropriate “personal relationship” with Robert F.Kennedy Jr., who is married, during his presidential campaign.Nuzzi claimed the relationship wasn’t physical, and a rep for RFK Jr.
said the two only met in person once, leading many to ask how the two could have gotten so close.The pair may have been engaged in an “emotional affair,” experts say, and it’s more common than you would think.“An emotional affair is when one partner starts forming a deep, emotional bond with someone outside their relationship.
It’s not just a regular friendship; it often involves a level of intimacy and secrecy that can destroy a relationship or marriage,” Amber Soletti, dating and relationship expert and founder of Single and the City, told The Post.“You might find yourself sharing personal thoughts, feelings and experiences with this other person —things you’d usually reserve for your partner,” Soletti added.Sources told The Post that Nuzzi and RFK Jr.were “sexting” one another, which Soletti said is common in emotional affairs and could lead to catastrophic consequences for a relationship.Though some may think an emotional affair is less severe than sexual cheating, Soletti said that they can be “just as bad, if not worse,” and feel like the “ultimate betrayal.”“A physical relationship could be where someone doesn’t even know the person’s name or much about the person.
An emotional relationship runs much deeper.”People enter into emotional affairs because they are feeling unfulfilled or are seeking something their own relationship isn’t providing them, relationship expert Rachel DeAlto told The Post.“Emotional affairs can fulfill a lot of needs it can make someone feel desired, feel connected.If that’s what they’re seeking they don’t need something physical.”These relationships can be even “more intimate” than p...