People warned over new ‘delicate dumping’ dating trend

A relationship expert has warned people to be on guard for a toxic new dumping trend.

Yep, nothing screams weekend vibes like wondering if your partner actually loves you still, and whether you may, in fact, die alone.

So here's a few hundred words on just that and how some gutless lads and lasses are slowly squeezing the life out of their relationships.

Emma Hathorn works for dating site Seeking, and she's offered her expert opinion on 'delicate dumping', which is sweeping the nation.

Basically, it's where one person falls out of love with their partner, and rather than bite the bullet and end things there and then, they adopt a pretty 'cowardly' tactic to expedite their exit.

Andor Bujdoso/Alamy

Unable to do it themselves, they just stops making any effort, slowly retreating from their partner in the hope they'll call it a day before they have to.

Slamming the trend, Hathorn said it was implemented by people who 'just can't handle confrontation'.

"It's the cowardly approach to ending a relationship, slowly retreating to avoid difficult conversations, or even ghosting," she said.

"Like 'quiet quitting', essentially you are technically still 'committed' but have stopped trying."

Adding: "It is the lazy way to break up with someone without looking like the guilty party.

"It’s the easy way out, but ultimately it isn’t the kindest way to end a relationship; it’s childish."

But it's not just people in committed relationships who are having a tough time of it, oh no.

If you've ever used a dating app, you may have fallen victim to being 'zombied'.

TikTok/@mariel_darling

Singer-songwriter Mariel Darling explained that new dating villains have transformed into flesh-eating corpses who reanimate from the graveyard of failed romances to revisit their past flames from the dead.

Yikes.

The overlay text of the video read: "Zombied is the new ghosting."

Mariel revealed: "Girl, you’re being ghosted? I'm being out here being zombied."

The 'Free Girl' singer went on to give her own definition to the lived experience.

"It’s like ghosting, but he comes back from the dead after a couple months and hits you up," she explained

The TikTok has gone on to receive over 1.5 million views with an avalanche of comments from people who definitely shared Mariel's pain.

One TikTok user commented: "Mine has a Jesus Christ complex, he comes back every three days."

Another wrote: "I saw someone say she puts gravestone emojis on their name in contacts so she knows not to deal with them anymore."

It's a grim world out there, guys. Stay safe.