Who hasn't cheated? I have. So why do we mock the Coldplaygate couple?
My hand is down. I've been a cheater. The guilt I carried is gone, replaced by regret and gratitude that I learned a lot about the world and myself. And that I could absorb those lessons in private.
It takes time to admit you did something shithouse. To work out what got you there, and no, the answer is rarely too many cocktails. That's probably just the tipping point. You need to go deep, be super honest.
Which is why the global infamy of Jumbotrongate – the Astronomer colleagues Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot caught hugging on the big screen at a Coldplay concert – has made me reflect. Sure, and be briefly obsessed. I'm not nearly that good a person that I can't relish a gotcha moment.
But what's still bugging me a week later isn't the alleged cheating or that a corporate guy is held to a higher standard of values than the US president.
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It's the fake statement attributed to Byron's wife Megan that went viral. It channelled Xena: Warrior Princess crossed with Delta Goodrem energy. Along with a baffling reference to silk gloves, it declared, 'I am not spiralling. I am ascending.'
Said nobody ever after learning their spouse took a side piece to hear Yellow live.
Still, it was shared everywhere by people with big followings and platforms.
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News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Warning: These emojis could mean your partner is cheating according to a private investigator
The Coldplay kiss-cam scandal – which saw a married boss and his alleged mistress caught in an embrace on the big screen – has become a global talking point. But, while the story went viral, there may be a far less public and more discreet way to spot your partner is cheating. A top private investigator told Fabulous the secret code cheaters are using to hide affairs on their phones. While some go to extreme lengths to cover their tracks, others are using something far more subtle: emojis. According to Paul Jones from ARF Private Investigators, apps like WhatsApp and Snapchat have become a hotbed for hidden relationships, with secret codes, archived chats and sneaky symbols replacing the traditional love letter. People often think of cheating as something obvious such as flirty photos, late nights or secret calls. But Paul says many of the cases he works on start with something as small as a random emoji. Sneaky symbols He told The Sun: 'Over the past year we've seen an increase in people using everyday symbols as a way to communicate without getting caught. 'On the surface, it might look innocent, but there's usually a deeper meaning.' One of the most common signs? A flurry of harmless-looking messages with the croissant or padlock emojis. If these symbols are in your partner's most-used emojis – found by clicking the emoji icon on the keyboard when typing a message – it could be an indicator they are being used for an affair. These symbols may mean nothing to you, but to someone cheating, they are code for dinners, hook-ups, or secret messages. Paul added: 'We've had people using a croissant emoji as a way of saying 'meet me for breakfast', or the letter emoji as a subtle 'text me when you're free'. 'It's like their own language, one that their partner isn't meant to understand.' Here are just a few examples Paul has seen used in real cases: The private investigator added: 'Used once or twice they don't mean much. 'But when you see them appearing regularly in chats with the same person, especially late at night, they start to mean something more.' Warning signs So what phone habits should you look out for with your partner? Paul continued: 'Start with your gut. 'If your partner suddenly starts hiding their phone, keeping conversations short, or you notice new contacts with strange names or emojis, that's when you should start asking questions.' There are other ways to find out your partner is having an affair – Carla Bellucci had a decade-long affair with her now husband Gio, and she text Gio's ex evidence of their relationship. If you're at a crossroads in your relationship, or feel you need advice and support, The Sun 's Dear Deidre team of qualified counsellors are available. Read their advice for a woman who's fallen pregnant with a wealthy man's baby, who is struggling to come to terms with the fact he wants to take no responsibility for their baby. Four red flags your partner is cheating Private Investigator Aaron Bond from BondRees revealed four warning signs your partner might be cheating. They start to take their phone everywhere with them In close relationships, it's normal to know each other's passwords and use each other's phones, if their phone habits change then they may be hiding something. Aaron says: 'If your partner starts changing their passwords, starts taking their phone everywhere with them, even around the house or they become defensive when you ask to use their phone it could be a sign of them not being faithful.' 'You should also look at how they place their phone down when not in use. If they face the phone with the screen facing down, then they could be hiding something.' They start telling you less about their day When partners cheat they can start to avoid you, this could be down to them feeling guilty or because it makes it easier for them to lie to you. 'If you feel like your partner has suddenly begun to avoid you and they don't want to do things with you any more or they stop telling you about their day then this is another red flag.' 'Partners often avoid their spouses or tell them less about their day because cheating can be tough, remembering all of your lies is impossible and it's an easy way to get caught out,' says Aaron. Their libido changes Your partner's libido can change for a range of reasons so it may not be a sure sign of cheating but it can be a red flag according to Aaron. 'Cheaters often have less sex at home because they are cheating, but on occasions, they may also have more sex at home, this is because they feel guilty and use this increase in sex to hide their cheating,' Aaron said. 'You may also find that your partner will start to introduce new things into your sex life that weren't there before.' They become negative towards you Cheaters know that cheating is wrong and to them, it will feel good, this can cause tension and anxiety within themselves which they will need to justify. 'To get rid of the tension they feel inside they will try to convince themselves that you are the problem and they will become critical of you out of nowhere,' Aaron warns. 'Maybe you haven't walked the dog that day, put the dishes away or read a book to your children before bedtime. A small problem like this can now feel like a big deal and if you experience this your partner could be cheating.'
Sky News AU
11 hours ago
- Sky News AU
'Put HR back in its box': Humiliating plight of Astronomer CEO and Chief People Officer at Coldplay concert highlights absurdity of modern workplace bureacracy
Over the past few weeks, the world was unexpectedly gripped by Coldplay-gate. It started innocuously enough - a couple caught on Kiss Cam at a Coldplay concert, their faces suddenly beamed across the Jumbotron. But their reaction gave the game away. Sheer panic. She recoils. He ducks. Cue Chris Martin's quip: 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy.' Turns out it was the former. The clip went viral, and Coldplay-gate was officially born. The pair? Astronomer CEO, Andy Byron, and Chief People Officer, Kirstin Cabot. Both of whom are married – just not to each other. But I'll leave the moralising to one side. What really lit the match for me was this online post, encapsulating the collective schadenfreude: "This story is absolutely unremarkable except in how it managed to combine almost everything it's socially acceptable to hate brilliantly: HR, Coldplay, cheaters, CEOs, millionaires." Despite this happening in the US, the ripple of contempt reached every corner of the Anglosphere. And the pièce de resistance? Cabot, the boss lady of Human Resources, sprung in the most public way, fraternising with the boss. It begs the question: why is HR so widely reviled? Well, it's the department that goes out of its way to lecture and disparage the mere mortals of the workplace, chiding them about their conduct no matter how trivial. We haven't all been poorly behaved or underperforming employees, but many of us have, at various times, run afoul of the puritans in HR. This at times pseudo-profession, innocuously called Human Resources, should be renamed Human Ruination. A squadron of gaslighting, passive-aggressive bureaucrats, seemingly determined to misunderstand core business in pursuit of their own internal fiefdoms. It's almost impressive that an industry, virtually invisible 30 years ago, has so thoroughly infiltrated the corporate world. Revenue generators now answer to these cost centres - ones that pervade but are totally unaccountable. Productivity and outcomes are secondary - unconscious bias training reigns supreme. Diversity and inclusion are demanded – so long as everyone thinks the same, drifting through the office in beige formation. HR's distorted priorities remain unchecked in their rapacious pursuit for influence. To what end? No one really knows. Back to Coldplay-gate. Both Byron and Cabot have resigned and Cabot. Expect her to follow in the footsteps of many HR greats before her: launch old mate Andy under the bus, play the victim to save herself. It's HR's version of career CPR. Standby for updates. The same HR malaise plagues Australia. Just this week, the ABC has reported that almost a quarter of HR professionals consider workers aged 51-55 'older'. And? Those of us who run businesses call them experienced and efficient - precisely what the country needs amid a skills shortage and productivity crisis. Youth isn't always all it's cracked up to be and hiring is not a casting call for 'Project Runway'. It's about matching skills to needs, not dressing up assumptions as strategy. Given HR's tendency to misunderstand core business and make erroneous assumptions about people, it's no wonder we ended up here. Perhaps if we put HR back in its box and let management manage, we'd finally see the uptick in productivity and worker satisfaction that we're all desperate for. Caroline Di Russo is a lawyer with 15 years of experience specialising in commercial litigation and corporate insolvency and since February 2023 has been the Liberal Party President in Western Australia.
SBS Australia
2 days ago
- SBS Australia
'Genius move': Everyone is raving about new Astronomer ad after Coldplay kiss cam scandal
Gwyneth Paltrow is starring in a new ad for Astronomer. Almost a fortnight after the tech company's married CEO, Andy Byron, was caught on a Coldplay concert kiss cam with his arms around his HR executive Kristin Cabot, Paltrow has been hired as a "temporary" spokesperson for Astronomer. The 52-year-old, who was married to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin from 2003 until 2016, appeared in a short video on Astronomer's social media speaking about the company's strengths. "I've been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300-plus employees at Astronomer. Astronomer has gotten a lot of questions over the last few days, and they wanted me to answer the most common one," she says in the ad. The first question, "OMG! What the actual f***?", then appeared on the screen in writing. However, she dodged the question and plugged the company's products: "We've been thrilled so many people have a newfound interest in data workflow automation." The next question to Astronomer was, "How is your social media team holding ..." However, Paltrow moved on before the whole question could be asked. "We will now be returning to what we do best, which is delivering game-changing results for our customers. Thank you for your interest in Astronomer," she said. The video was captioned: "Thank you for your interest in Astronomer." Social media users chimed in after the video was released, with tech journalist Neville Lahiru saying: "Getting Chris Martin's ex-wife was a genius move lol." PR and communications consultant Ronke Lawal lauded the move as an "engaging way to handle a PR crisis" and "socially relevant without being too corny and cringe." Another user, Matt Brian, commented: "Marketing genius. Owning the Coldplay kiss cam video *and* hiring Chris Martin's ex-wife? Splendid." At Coldplay's 15 July concert near Boston, a cameraman panned across the crowd and showed Byron and Cabot in an embrace. In a video shared to TikTok, as the couple frantically tried to dodge the camera, frontman Martin could be heard saying: "Oh, look at these two. All right, c'mon, you're okay. "Oh, what? Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy." Both Byron and Cabot have since resigned from the company.
