Polyamorous relationships

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A video of American R&B singer Ne-Yo kissing three of his girlfriends backstage has had loads of attention and highlighted the practice of polyamory. This is when people have several partners at once and are completely open about it. To find out more, we bring together four polyamorous men and women in the US and the UK to tell us what their lives are like. “I’m in a relationship with someone I’ve been with for nearly three years,” says Leanne. “I have another partnership that’s been going on for half a year and I also have various lovers, friends with benefits, close friends etc, who have been around for various lengths of time. My longest connection right now is a casual one that’s been going on for about nine years.” For Stewart, who is married to Molly, the decision to be polyamorous is clear. “Life is too short,” he says. “When it really comes down to the philosophy of it, you’re here to meet and understand and encounter as many people and experiences as you can. I found that the more people I met, the more I understood myself and the more I understood my marriage.” Apart from the positives, we also hear about the stigma and the jealousy that can arise from having more than one partner. Hosted by Luke Jones. Conversation by Andrew Peach Producer: Sue Nelson and Iqra Farooq A Boffin Media production in partnership with the BBC OS team (Photo: Singer Ne-Yo and three of his partners. Credit: Prince Williams/Getty Images)