'The breakup was messy, but the lies he told after were worse.'

When Mamamia shared the anonymous story of a woman whose life was upended by her ex-husband's smear campaign, we never expected the response.

The anonymous woman had been married to Howard* for three years, and believed she had found the perfect partner.

But over time, his charm turned to control. It started with persistent questions about her whereabouts and who she was seeing, and escalated to nasty remarks, monitoring her spending, and isolating her from friends.

Watch: How to support someone going through a separation or divorce. Post continues after video.

By the time she realised she was being emotionally manipulated, she felt like a shell of her former self.

Leaving him was one of the hardest decisions of her life. But while she expected the breakup to be painful, she never anticipated the smear campaign that followed.

Howard spread vicious lies about her, telling mutual friends and professional connections that she was a violent alcoholic who was prone to breakdowns. She lost friendships, business opportunities, and even clients who had once trusted her.

Despite her efforts to counter the false accusations, she found that some people were more interested in the scandal than the truth.

"Some stains, no matter how hard you try, will never completely wash out," she wrote.

The story struck a chord with you, our readers, who have been galvanised to share your own experiences with smear campaigns. Here are your stories.

'My ex-husband spread lies about me, and it ruined my friendships.'

One woman left her husband only to find herself battling a narrative she didn't create.

"My ex-husband did exactly the same to me. A few months after I left him, I started hearing stories about myself that put me in a very bad light — alcoholic, drug addict, spent HIS hard-earned money like water."

She quickly realised the damage had been done.

"Friends turned away from me, but funnily enough, from him too."

'They'll imply you're the problem when they're really describing themselves.'

For another woman, the manipulation was more subtle, but just as damaging.

"It can be more insidious than that. People can imply that you are disorganised, lazy, or a whole suite of negative things, when they are in fact referring to themselves. Casting aspersions is highly damaging."

In her experience, speaking up often made things worse.

"Interestingly, if you speak the truth about the person who is the guilty party, you will be shot down. Especially if they're a male and they've done the self-promotion work of sharing how good and wholesome they are."

'They were never your friends to begin with.'

For some, the most painful part of the smear campaign isn't the lies — it's realising that people they once trusted could turn against them so easily.

"They were not your friends ever, none of them. That's how you know. Forget about them, move on, and put it down to an experience. It happened to me a few times and I had a breakdown because of it. But I learned one thing — they are not friends."

She now has a different perspective.

"It's horrible that it happened, but at least you know the truth."

'My ex stalked and harassed me for 10 years.'

Another reader shared that her ex didn't stop at spreading lies — he continued to make her life miserable for a decade after they split.

"Similar [thing] happened to me. He told anyone who would listen that I was a crazy, mental, substance abuser and he was the victim. Endured continual stalking and harassment for 10 years after. I'm finally free and working on myself."

'People who believed the lies will never admit they were wrong.'

Perhaps the hardest part is knowing that even when people realise the truth, they may never acknowledge it.

"And the rejection continues when the ones that believed the lies, or were at least curious, are too embarrassed to admit they did believe the lies, even when they know you better. So they continue to avoid you."

'I walked out of a job I loved, and my manager smeared me to save herself.'

For one woman, the betrayal didn't just come from an ex — it happened in her workplace.

"Happened to me in my last employment in 2019, my immediate manager threw me under the bus with her lies. I walked out of a job I loved, and she couldn't handle that I made a stand. Of course, the only way to save herself was to make me look bad. Mind you, my outcomes in my role made her look good."

While she was devastated at the time, she now sees it differently.

"People are desperate, and there is always karma. What goes around, comes around. Weak individuals."

What these stories reveal is how powerful and lasting a smear campaign can be. Even when the lies seem absurd, once people hear them, it's hard to shake the doubt.

But if there's one silver lining, it's this: the truth has a way of surfacing, and those who truly matter will see it.

If you've experienced something similar, know this — you're not alone.

*Names have been changed and omitted to maintain privacy.

Feature Image: Getty.