Betrayal - Hazel | Betrayal Weekly

Episode Date: July 16, 2026

In the aftermath of a painful divorce, Hazel finds comfort in an unexpected connection. But as their relationship deepens, strange coincidences start to pile up.  If you would like to share your story, you can reach out to the Betrayal team by emailing us at [e-mail]. You can also find us on Instagram at @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. To access our newsletter and additional content and to connect with the Betrayal community, join our Substack at betrayal.substack.com.     If you are currently in crisis, please reach out to organizations that offer immediate support. We are including a few US-based resources here:    988 Lifeline. If you or someone you know is in crisis or need to talk to someone immediately, please call or text 988 – the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline available 24/7/365.   National Domestic Violence Hotline. They offer 24/7 phone and chat support to help you create a personalized safety plan and connect you with local support.   For resources on sexual violence, visit rainn.org/betrayal. You can also get free, confidential, 24/7 support through RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline. Text HOPE to 64673 or call 1-800-656-HOPE.   Every state has a domestic violence coalition. If you’re looking for help in the US, search the web for your state’s domestic violence coalition. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey, Portlandia fans. Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen here. The Dream of the 90s is alive in podcast form. We're launching Podlandia, AEO rewatch, our brand new podcast where we revisit every episode of Portlandia together, breaking down sketches, going deep on our iconic characters, and pulling back the curtain on how it all got made.

And we'll also be joined by the people who helped bring it all to life. Guest stars, collaborators, and friends, including director Jonathan Chrysler, the mayor himself, Kyle McLaughlin, legendary musician Amy Mann, and many more. Kyle is going for it here. You fully improvised, not just words, but a song. Well, I thought you were all going to write a song. I remember you thinking that.

Listen to Podlandia. A.O. Rewatch on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's sports journalist Ari Chambers. Hey, what's up, y'all? It's your girl, Sam J. And we're the hosts of everyone watches women's sports. a new podcast from Together. We're breaking down the biggest headlines,

the viral moments, and the stories everyone's talking about across women's sports. From game-changing performances to culture-shifting conversations we'll give you our takes, our debates, and a few laughs along the way. Because everyone watches women's sports.

Listen to everyone watches women's sports. On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is Chelsea Hamler from Dear Chelsea. Every week, the news gets worse. The world gets crazier, and Yamanika is here to tell whoever's responsible, you're the problem.

Do you know I just found out who Sidney Sweeney was? If he got a bunch of women, then I should have a bunch of men. Do better or do less so I don't have to do so much. I'm Yamanika, and I'm out. Listen to You're the Problem with Yamanika on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. My first guest is Peres Hilton, Shakira, Luke and Yerrin. You have surprises?

Many surprises. Mona. Welcome to the Sweet 305 podcast where the group check comes to life. What on? You're the only person I know that loves a yellow starburst. It's lemonade. This is Sweet 305. Here, oversharing is encouraged.

Listen to Sweet 305 with Lele Pons on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, everyone. I have something exciting to share with you. Betrayal finally has merch. This is something I've been wanting to do for a long name. time. Every piece has been designed and curated for our betrayal community. We've got mugs, shirts, stickers, and a guided betrayal journal filled with thoughtful prompts. Whether it's for yourself or as a gift for someone you know who loves the show, these pieces help support the work

we do. Visit Betrayalpodcast.com.shop to explore the full collection. Pre-orders are open now. You've got to arrest him. Because I don't know where this is. is going to end. He's a liar, he's a manipulator, and he's an abuser, and I don't think he'll stop unless he's made to stop. I'm Andrea Gunning, and this is betrayal, a show about the people we trust the most, and the deceptions that change everything. Today we're sharing Hazel's story. She feels more comfortable telling her story with a pseudonym, but the rest of the names and details in this story are unchanged. Hazel lives in a small town in the UK. It's a village with two shops, and there's not really a lot there, to be honest.

Hazel married her husband, Mikey, when she was 18. In her early 20s, she started studying to be a social worker. I started college and working a lot, so I wasn't really home. And I think Mikey's reaction to that was he was at home bored, so we'd have a drink. Mikey's drinking turned from a habit to an addiction. It was awful. It was awful. He couldn't keep a job because obviously being alcohol dependent. So that put more pressure on me, having to pay the bills, make sure you've got enough money.

He's always working hard to build a full life. She had big dreams. But over time, it became clear that Mikey couldn't grow with her. I wanted to better myself and get a better career and do something meaningful. And he was kind of stuck. Mikey's struggle with addiction changed him. He began lashing out at Hazel. He'd tell her that he wasn't drinking. But she started to see that he was just hiding it.

When I'd come down in the morning, he'd have made me a coffee. And he'd have one himself and there would be vodka in his coffee. My anxiety was through the roof. It was just horrendous. Hazel realized she couldn't trust him anymore. We tried to save our marriage. but it just got worse over the next couple of years. Things weren't good.

Eventually, it was clear that Mikey needed professional support, and Hazel needed a supportive partner, and neither of them could be that for each other. It just got out of control. She and Mikey decided to divorce. The day he left, Hazel helped him pack up his things. Finally, she grabbed the last box and put it in his car, car. When she opened the trunk, it was filled with empty bottles of vodka, whiskey.

Then, Mikey drove away. That's how Hazel found herself living alone for the first time as an adult. Well, almost alone. I had a dog called Rico. He was my little rescue dog. He rescued me as much as I rescued him. I call him my soul dog. She was learning how to do a lot of things on her own. Just a few days after Mikey moved out, Hazel went to take a shower and discovered the water was freezing cold. I had no hot water. So I had to ring this company up and say, you've knackered up my hot water. I don't have any hot water. So they said, we'll send somebody out the next day. Sure enough, the next morning, she heard a knock on her door. It was a repairman. man from the gas company.

He was very tall, but didn't think anything of him. Just a gas man. He got to work on the hot water heater. Heisel went back to the living room, where she was hanging out with her best friend. We'd known each other since Play Group, you know, really, really close. So she, of course, was the person I rang when I'd realized that, yeah, that's it. Marriage is over. I was on the floor.

I was at my most vulnerable, 100%. It was a relief to have. have her best friend there to listen. I was talking about Mikey and his alcohol dependency and the lies and just that I couldn't do it anymore. Eventually, the repairman finished fixing the boiler. He popped his head into the living room, told Heasel he was done and left. So my hot water was fixed. My friend had left. I didn't really fancy being in the house on my own. So I went over to my mums, just trying to keep myself busy. She was at her mom's sitting on the couch doing the same thing she'd been doing for days.

I sat thinking about, you know, the end of my marriage. Then her phone buzzed. I got a text message from a number that I didn't know. Said it's Mark, the gas engineer. Can I just ask, did I leave my laptop case at your house? I told him I'd have a look. And when I got home, there was no laptop case. So I messaged him and said, oh, you know, it's not here.

Maybe you left it at another job. Then he texted an emoji. He put one of those kiss face emojis, the little emojis with a little blowing out heart. And then he apologized for sending the emoji. He said it was an accident. And I said it was okay. I didn't mind.

And then he sent another one. That made her laugh. Seeing that little emoji made me feel a little bit like, oh, okay. We just started texting, we just started talking, just general things.

Mark's texts were a welcomed distraction. I didn't have to think about my marriage ending. I didn't have to think about all the stress that brought on. They started flirting and bantering over text. And it made me feel good. It made me feel, oh my God, you know, somebody could actually, care about me. They started talking on the phone sometimes too. After a couple of weeks,

he'd messaged and said, oh, I've got a job around the corner. Come and I pop him for a coffee. And I was like, my gosh, yeah, sure, come over. Ten minutes later, she heard a knock on her door. When she opened it, Mark was standing in front of her smiling. They'd been flirting for weeks, and now in person, she clearly felt the chemistry. The first thing he did was put me up against the wall and kissed me, which, of course, blew me off my feet. Like, oh my gosh, I've never had that before. Heisel was nervous that hanging out in person might turn out to be an awkward endeavor. But to her surprise, we got on, we laughed, and it was nice.

There was no awkward silences. If there was a silence, it was comfortable. After that day, they started hanging out more often. He would come and see me whilst I was working nights. Whilst I was studying, he was making me laugh. She had spent years in her marriage taking care of her ex-husband. Mark was a breath of fresh air. It was different with Mark.

It was so much affection. We said it was a passion night. Neither of us had felt before. Mark made her feel sexy and wanted. Before long, they started dating officially. When Mark got off work, he would go to Hazel's place, and they would spend their evenings together. Mark made even mundane things feel exciting. Mark was stupid funny.

He would make a twat out of himself, and you would just be laughing at him rather than with him. He'd start doing really silly dances around the house. If a song came on, he'd start stropping his clothes off. And I'm just sat there like, what are you doing? But it was really funny. And we just got on. It just felt so natural. And that laughter got me through.

Mark texted Hazel all the time. He didn't hide his feelings for her. He would draw hearts on his phone and tell me how beautiful I was. He would send a message and he would say I, L, and then dash, dash, dash you. And I was like, well, is that like or is that love? Obviously, it was love. When he wasn't around, she missed him. There was passion there that I'd never felt before.

And it felt really nice. It felt wonderful. She finally found someone that could meet her halfway. He had a stable job with a big company. The pension was really good. and obviously I was training to be a social worker. As time went on, Heisel started imagining what life with Mark could look like. I thought that this is great.

Neither has ever got children. We could have two good incomes. He's got a stable job. He's funny. He makes me laugh. He makes me so good about myself. There's a future here. Heasel's friends were worried about how fast their relationship was moving.

One of my friends, Vicky, said it's too quick, it's too fast. She said it would be a headline in the newspapers murdered by the gasman, you know, jokingly. But Hazel wasn't amused. Come on. Sometimes things happen like this, you know.

It was a bit extreme, but her friend was suspicious. And she had a good reason to be worried. You've heard the chaos. Now you can see it. Do we want to jump right in? Watch all your favorite podcasts from start to Finish right inside the free IHard Radio app. Make some noise.

Catch every laugh and eye roll on shows like Bestie Listen, Hey Jonas, and Las Culturistas. Now with full video. I'll just leave that there. It's the same hosts and the same chemistry with all the hilarious moments you've been missing right on your screen. Open the free IHard radio app. Search video podcasts and tap watch. What's up, fam? I'm sports journalist Ari Chambers.

Hey, what's up y'all? It's your girl, Sam Jay. And we're the host of everyone watches women's sports. A new podcast from Together and I Heart Women's Sports. Because let's be real. Women's sports is giving us way too much to talk about these days. So Kelsey Finler, she became the first female solo rower to go from California to Hawaii.

My first thought is like, what's up with the snacks? Like, what are we eating? The highlights, the rivalries, the breakout stars, the moments that take over your entire timeline. And the conversations that start during the game and somehow keep going all week. Every week, we're breaking down the biggest stories across women's sports.

Naomi Osaka showing out. She beat Sabalinka. Shout out to you, Naomi. You get the palm, Naomi. You get the palm for that. Because we're not just interested in what happened. We're interested in why everyone's talking about it. Because everyone watches women's sports.

Listen to everyone watches women's sports. On the IHeart Radio app. Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, Portlandia fans. Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen here. You know us or rather you know them. Tony and Candace, Nina and Lance, Spike, the chicken. We've played a lot of iconic characters over the years, but today we're showing up

as ourselves to tell you about Podlandia AEO rewatch, our brand new podcast. Each week we'll revisit an episode of Portlandia from the very beginning, breaking down the sketches, exploring the backstories of our most iconic characters, revisiting the Portland locations you know and love, and opening up about our creative process. How did any of this get made? Why do we think that was a good idea? We're ready to talk about it. And we'll also be joined by the people who helped to bring it all to life. Guest stars, collaborators and friends,

including director Jonathan Chryssel, the mayor himself, Kyle McLaughlin, legendary musician Amy Mann, and many more. Kyle is going for it here.

You fully improvised, not just words, but a song. Well, I thought he was going to write, I thought you were all going to write a song. I remember you thinking that. Listen to Podlandia. Ayo rewatch on the IHeartRadio

Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. My first guest, is Paris Hilton, Shakira, Luke and Yerin, Samira, and Gracie! I'm so excited on the bouncy bed. You have surprises, many surprises. Welcome to Sweet 305 where the group chat comes to life. What a f***! It's like a way to say like,

Oh la, my friend, oh, my friend, oh, my, my, my brother, what a... Look, never I've ever I've ever been with anyone, except with my children, my children, I see my amante. Oof! Yeah. Punch, King.

You're the only person I know that loves a yellow starburst. It's flammated. There's no one of anyone that you'd. Like, I'd like to collaborate with this person. This is Sweet 305. Listen to Sweet 305 with Lele Pons as part of my Cultura podcast network on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. A few days after Hazel's husband moved out, she called the gas company to fix her hot water. That led to a meat cute with a...

man named Mark. After weeks of flirting over text, their relationship developed into something real. They began hanging out whenever they could find time. I thought that this is great. He's got a stable job. He's funny. He makes me laugh. He makes me feel good about myself. There's a future here. The only complication was that he lived 30 minutes away. But luckily, he was often in her town for work. They would make a date of it. I would cook for him. He would come up. He would come He made me feel good about myself, telling me how beautiful I was and how wonderful I was and how we were perfect for each other. At the time, Hazel was still in school training to be a social worker. Her schedule was packed.

It helped that Mark was always willing to make the drive to her place. I was so busy. I was studying and working. So it just worked. It just fitted. But Mark had to work early mornings. so he rarely spent the night. There was one day for some reason.

I think I needed to go and get something from the shop. It was about half six. So I was driving to the shop, and I saw Mark walking his dog in my area. This was weird. Why would Mark be walking his dog so far from his own house? And I stopped the car, and I was like, what are you doing around here?

And he said, oh, oh, my uncle lives around the corner. so sometimes I'll bring the dog over and walk the dog around here. It's got a really nice dog walking field. That, okay. A bit weird, but all right. He'd never mentioned he had family in her area, but that made things even more convenient. A few days later, Mark came over to Hazel's house.

She went outside and greeted him as he got out of his truck. As she hugged him, her eyes landed on the front seat. I saw an Amazon parcel with a nice. address on it. Two roads from where I live. Mark lived a half hour away. Why would he have a package addressed to a home in her neighborhood? I thought, maybe he just got it delivered to his uncle's house. Maybe that was easier for him, I don't know. She made a mental note of the address. Hazel and Mark had been dating for months. They'd become a part of each other's daily lives. Many nights after work, they'd walk her dog Rico together. Mark loved Rico as much as she did,

and when they weren't together, they texted and called each other constantly. Talking on the phone all the time, texting all the time, if we ran out of things to say, we would just send hearts to each other, then we'd play games and things on Snapchat. It was easy. For the first time and a long time, Hazel felt settled in her life. She decided to buy the house she'd been renting for the past few years. And she started to consider asking Mark to take a big step with her. I thought about him moving in here, living together, having a stable relationship, which I hadn't had in such a long time. One day, Hazel went on a hike with one of her friends. We went to a place It's called Simmons Yat, and it's a big lake, big forest, and we walked around the woods.

Such a beautiful place. After a few hours of hiking and catching up, they headed home. On their drive back, she spotted what looked like Mark's work van. He was parked on the side of the road. Heasel did a double take. What was Mark doing out here? Maybe it wasn't him, but as they drove closer, she was. sure it was Mark.

And he was out of his van and he was looking in his van. And we just carried on driving. Over the next few weeks, Hazel started seeing Mark's work van more and more. When she asked him about it, he said he had a lot of repairs in the area. But how many boilers could be broken on her street? I felt really uneasy after he said that. But I thought, no, it's fine. fine. One weekend, Mark told Heasel he was going on a trip. He was going to his friend's house

that was in the middle of nowhere and he was spending all weekend there and he was repiping the whole house. So he wasn't able to talk to me. So I was like, that's fine. There's no problem. She knew he couldn't talk while he was at his friend's house. But she figured his drive there would be a great time to catch up. So I was like, I'll ring him on the way. She called Mark. Usually, he picked up right away. But this time, it went to voicemail. He didn't answer. So I thought, okay, something's not right. He always answers the phone. The phone has rung, so he's got signal. Hazel had a bad feeling. She thought back to the Amazon package on his front seat. It was addressed to a street just around the corner.

So I thought, right, I'm going to get in my car, and I'm going to drive down that road. She drove down the road, scanning each driveway nervously. She wasn't sure what she was looking for, or if she'd find anything. After a few minutes, she saw something that made her hit the brakes. I saw his van parked on the drive. She drove closer, and sure enough, it was his license plate. We're talking two minutes, two minute drive from my house. He said he was with a friend far away in the countryside with no phone service.

But his car was parked right down the street from her. She texted Mark and told him she saw his van parked in the neighborhood. He then went into kind of panic mode. He told me that he'd gone up the road to find some signal to ring me. Mark insisted that he was visiting his friend. that he was miles away. He's like, I'll send you my location. He sent her a screenshot of a map.

He'd gone on to Google Maps, and he'd sent me a screenshot. And it was a little dot in the middle of nowhere. For a second, it did look like Mark was in the countryside, a small dot surrounded by big green fields. But as Hazel looked closer at the screenshot, she noticed something was off. He'd cropped out the time and the date. I said, I'm not stupid.

I know you're not there right now. If you were there right now, you wouldn't have cropped out at the time. He carried on making up more lies, telling me I'm being paranoid. Everything was in my head. But Hazel was staring straight at his van. She was certain this was real. Whenever Mark came to Hazel's, he parked on the street. But here, at this house, he was parked in the driveway.

Did Mark live here? it all felt suspicious and he was clearly lying to her. This is it. I can't be in another relationship where there's dishonesty. Once the trust is gone, the trust is gone.

You can't get it back. I said, I'm done. I'm done. It's over. I can't do this anymore. As soon as she said that, Mark's tone shifted. He responded right away

and began telling Hazel that this was all her fault. It's all because, of my ex-husband why I'm so broken. I don't deserve him. Really just horrible, horrible messages. No matter what he said to her, Hazel knew what she'd seen. He was lying. And she'd caught him in the act. That's when Mark stopped pretending. He admitted that he'd lived in that house, just two minutes away from her. I drove past his house every day. At this point, Mark knew all his eyes were unraveling. So, he admitted the full truth.

He then told me about his girlfriend and his daughter. I was in a state of shock. Lying about where he lived was one thing. But this was so much darker than that. Mark was lying about his entire life. He lives in the same area as me, and he's been lying from day one. Hazel was disgusted. But then reflecting on it, it all makes sense. Never spent the night. You know, I thought it was because it fitted in with me, and it fitted in with my work really well.

But actually, yeah, it made sense. And why on earth did I not clock on to, yeah, there's probably somebody else? Mark was grasping at straws, trying to get her back. He told her he would leave his family for her. When she said she didn't want that, trying to blame me, made me think it was all in my head. You know, real gaslighting, horrible behaviour.

Mark was being cruel in a way she had never experienced before. And I was like, I'm done. Get your stuff. Get out my house. I don't want you anywhere near me. At the time, Hazel was working at a women's centre, where she was training to be a social worker. Which was the perfect place for me to be going through all this because I had on-hand support. and they advise me to not block people, don't block people like that, because if they don't have a channel of communication, that's when they start turning up.

And then obviously you're at bigger risk, so I didn't block him. Mark was messaging her incessantly, berating her, trying everything to get her attention. It was horrendous. It brought back so many feelings that I'd kind of buried from my relationship with my husband.

I felt all the anxiety was coming back, mistrust. I felt sick. I couldn't eat. I lost so much weight. Mark was getting increasingly agitated and desperate. Then she got an alarming message from him. Saying that he'd had a heart attack and was in hospital and he'd almost died.

And I thought, oh my God. have I done this? I felt awful. I messaged them back and said, you know, you're going to be okay, you're in the right place. Mark responded right away. He told her that he was about to go in for heart surgery. He was texting me from his hospital bed

saying that he was being pushed towards theatre and that he could see the lights above his head because he was led flat. That's all he was trying to. to focus on. Hazel's concern melted away and was replaced by skepticism. I've had enough operations in my life

to know you don't take your phone to an operating theater. All your belongings get badged up and they get put safely away somewhere. So I was like, come on. At this point, I'm just like, this is bullshit. This isn't true.

When Hazel ignored Mark's texts, She started getting harassing, coercive messages from unknown numbers. I then got messages on Facebook, signal and eye messages, pleading, apologizing. When she first met Mark, she thought he was her ticket out of a dark period of her life. But now, he was pulling her further and deeper into despair and isolation. I was managing to eat crackers and drink water. That was all I could kind of keep down at the time. And that just kind of escalated and, you know, I was already kind of burning out with what I was doing.

But then not being able to eat and keep food down, I was just burning out even more. She decided to get on a dating app. I think I was just looking for somebody to make me feel better because I couldn't make myself feel better. She matched with a few guys and started messaging one of them more regularly. Eventually, they moved their conversation off the app and on to feed. Facebook Messenger. But then, I started getting messages from Mark about the things that I was saying with this guy.

My private messages to this guy. He knew the bloat's name. He knew what the context we were talking about. He said that we were talking about awful things. He's always scared. How do you know that? I haven't spoken to you. And he's like, the guy's messaged me

and told me and sent me screenshots. But this guy didn't even know that Mark existed. That's when it dawned on Hazel. You've hacked into my Facebook. She changed her Facebook password, but that was only a temporary solution. She was getting calls and texts from unknown numbers at all hours of the day. The message has carried on, and then it got kind of really nasty. So he started calling me a whore, started calling me a slut for moving on so quickly.

Mark's behavior was escalating. Hazel decided to reach out for support. I rang 101, which is our non-emergency police line, but they said they've got no way of tracking him, try my network provider. My network provider did offer for me to have block numbers stopped, but actually sometimes important people ring on block numbers. The police ring on block numbers.

The doctors do. So actually that would be impacting my life more. So Hazel was left to deal with Mark on her own. Knowing that he lived in her neighborhood was terrifying. She was scared he was hiding around every corner. I couldn't drive past his house, so I was doing a detour. Every time I saw one of those vans, I'd get panic attacks. She remembered how often she ran into him when they were dating.

Now she wondered, had that really been a coincidence? She checked find my friends on her phone. and saw that Mark had access to her location. But she'd never given it to him. He must have got my phone at some point while we were together and set my location so he could see it. He was tracking her.

And maybe he'd been tracking her since the very beginning. She didn't know what else he knew or what other ways he might be watching her. I didn't feel safe. It was horrible. It was invasive. She lived in a state of paranoia for months. One morning I'd come downstairs and we've got candles.

They're called imperial candles and they smell absolutely beautiful and they've got jewelry inside. So I'd gone downstairs and the candle had burnt down enough that I could get the jewelry out. Hazel stood by the breakfast bar, fishing out the jewelry from the candle. So I was stood there for quite a while because they're quite hard to get out. Then she heard something. I heard like a noise.

She looked up slowly. In the corner of her living room, she kept a pet camera. I always had the camera pointing at the front door because that was where Rico would always owl. But now, the camera was turning slowly,

looking around the room. Somebody was controlling it remotely. When it was pointing directly at her, the camera stopped. And I just froze. I think he's in my camera. You've heard the chaos. Now you can see it. Hello.

My gosh. Watch all your favorite podcasts from start to finish, right inside the free I-Hare Radio app. Gets the blood going up? Catch every laugh and eye roll on shows like the Tom Green Farmcast and park the bus. Now with full video. We're building a ramp for Tony Hawk. the same hosts and the same chemistry

with all the hilarious moments you've been missing right on your screen. Cheers. Open the free IHard Radio app. Search video podcasts and tap watch. What's up, fam? I'm sports journalist Ari Chambers. Hey, what's up y'all? It's your girl, Sam J.

And we're the host of everyone watches women's sports, a new podcast from Together and IHart Women's Sports. Because let's be real. Women's sports is giving us way too much to talk about these days. So Kelsey Finler, she became the first female solo rower to go from California to Hawaii. My first thought is, like, what's up with the snacks? Like, what are we eating?

The highlights, the rivalries, the breakout stars, the moments that take over your entire timeline. And the conversations that start during the game and somehow keep going all week. Every week, we're breaking down the biggest stories across women's sports. Naomi Osaka showing out, she beat Sabalinka. Shout out to you, Naomi. You get the palm, Naomi. You get the palm for that.

Because we're not just interested in what happened. we're interested in why everyone's talking about it. Because everyone watches women's sports. Listen to everyone watches women's sports. On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, Portlandia fans. Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen here. You know us, or rather you know them.

Tony and Candace, Nina and Lance, Spike, and yes, the chicken. We've played a lot of iconic characters over the years, but today we're showing up as ourselves to tell you about Podlandia, AEO, rewatch, our brand new podcast. Each week we'll revisit a. episode of Portlandia from the very beginning, breaking down the sketches, exploring the backstories of our most iconic characters, revisiting the Portland locations you know and love, and opening up about our creative process.

How did any of this get made? Why do we think that was a good idea? We're ready to talk about it. And we'll also be joined by the people who helped bring it all to life, guest stars, collaborators and friends, including director Jonathan Chrysall, the mayor himself, Kyle McLaughlin, legendary musician Amy Mann, and many more. Kyle is going for it here. You fully improvised, not just words, but a song, a melody. I thought he was going to write. I thought you were going to write a song.

I remember you thinking that. Listen to Podlandia. Ayo, rewatch on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. My first guest is Paris Houghton, Shakira, Luke and Yerrin, Samira and Gracie. I'm so excited. On the bouncy bed. You have surprises? Many surprises.

Welcome to Sweet 305 where the group chat comes to life. What a f***. It's like a way to say like, oh, my, my friend, oh, my brother. What a . Look, I've never had to have to be a without. Except with my kids, my

my kids, and my yes. I'm my amante. Uff! That's incredible, yeah, the telenovela. You're the only person I know that loves a Yellow Starburst. It's flammated.

When there's a someone that you like you say, I'd like to collaborate with this person. This is Sweet 305. Listen to Sweet 305 with Lele Pons as part of my Cultura podcast network on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

After Hazel broke up with Mark, he began harassing her. It started with incessant text messages and calls. Then, he hacked into her Facebook account. And then, one morning, Hazel was in her living room when she heard her. her pet camera move. Someone was controlling it remotely. When it was pointing directly at her,

the camera stopped. And I just stood and I just froze. I didn't know what to do. She grabbed her phone and logged into the pet camera app. And it said two viewers. So me and somebody else. Now, I didn't live with anyone else. Never given any access to anybody. No one else should have had any access to the camera. This had to be Mark. And with the camera pointed straight at her, she knew he was watching her that very moment.

I thought, okay, just trying out normal. I picked up my keys. I picked up my phone. And I just left the house. Heasel was rattled. What's going to happen next? I don't know what to do. If I cut off my camera,

is he going to start turning up? She ran through options in her mind. I deleted all of his messages at one point because I didn't want to read them again. I didn't want to relive it. So I thought, okay, if I ring the police, I've got no evidence. So it's my word against his. Eventually, she decided to confront Mark directly. I messaged him and I said, I know you've been in my camera.

I know you've been watching me. And to her surprise, he admitted it. He said that it was because he missed me so. much and it didn't know how else for me to be part of his life. His words were alarming, but Hazel gained something valuable. I had evidence. He'd admitted in writing what he'd done and why he did it. Heasel reported him to the police.

The police came out to see me the next day, took a full statement, asked me what I wanted to do. And they gave me three options. They said, they can have a word with him and tell him to stop. stop, they can arrest him or they can just record it in case something else happens and then they've got a bigger picture. And I sat there and I just thought, if something else happens. Her mind went to dark places. What did they mean if something else happens? And that kind of sat with me and I thought, it's escalated to the point already, which is horrendous didn't feel safe in my own home.

So she told the police she'd made her decision. You've got to arrest him because I don't know where this is going to end. He's a liar, he's a manipulator, and he's an abuser, and I don't think he'll stop unless he's made to stop. A few days later, Mark was arrested. He'd been arrested on suspicion of stalking an harassment. Hazel knew he was still employed by the gas company. She called them and explained that Mark was a liability to their customer's safety. I was just trying to get my point across and say that this man is dangerous,

and you've got him going into people's homes, and you need to get him out. They said it was the wireless heating system company's problem. So Hazel called them. And then they said, it's the gas company's problem. So I was just getting banked from the two companies. and I was on the phone for hours. This pathway wasn't working. Nobody she spoke to knew how to help.

With Mark's trial coming up, Heisel decided she wanted her story to serve a broader purpose. She wanted to spread awareness about stalking and perpetrators like Mark. Before Mark's trial, Heisel reached out to her local newspaper. To make sure there was a reporter there, because I thought this isn't going under the carpet. On the day of Mark's trial, Hazel went to court.

I felt that I needed to be there to show him that he hadn't broken me. I had probably about seven or eight friends with me that had come to be there and to support me. I read my victim impact statement and my hands, they were really, really shaking. There was overwhelming evidence of Mark's harassment and stalking. including his own confession to Hazel. He pled guilty. He got an 18-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months. He got an indefinite restraining order,

preventing any contact with myself, and he's not allowed in my road. Two days later, the local newspaper reported on Hazel's story and Mark's crimes. Over the coming weeks and months, the story spread to other outlets across the UK. I had papers writing to me and magazines writing to me. We've had voice actors read some of the headlines.

We've anonymized the name of Mark's former employer. Gas engineer who hacked into X's pet camera to spy on her avoids jail. This is what it's like to be stalked in your own home. Gloucestershire woman's full account of how ex-Gas Engineer hacked into her cameras after fixing her boiler. Gas engineer stalked ex-girlfriend by hacking pet camera inside her home. Telling her story was challenging at first, but she has continued to tell it because she knows how important it is to put language to her experience. I didn't think of harassment and stalking.

I just saw it as it's got a screw loose and it just needs to leave me alone. It wasn't until the police said stalking and stalking. harassment, that I really started to reflect on what I had gone through, and I was serious it was. When Mark showed up at her house to fix her boiler, Hazel was at her most vulnerable. When she was talking with her friend about her divorce, Mark was in the next room. He was listening to everything. He told me that later on. He was listening to the fact that I was crying. He heard her desperation. And just hours later, he swooped in and started flirting with her. Mark saw Hazel was lost. Because of that, she'd make the perfect target. One night, Hazel got a call from an unknown

number. And I was like, oh my God, the restraining order hasn't worked. None of this has worked. He thinks he can message me again and ring me. Nervously, she picked up the phone. She braced herself to hear Mark's voice. Instead, it was the CEO of the gas company. And he said that he'd read the article. He'd terminated Mark's contract with immediate effect. He'd already had people going to his house to collect the van, collect all the equipment. And he was very sympathetic as to what happened. The gas company connected her with mental health services. They gave me counsellors. They gave me counsellors. through their counselling service, which helped me a lot.

Used CBT, which really did. Change my view on him. He wasn't scary anymore. He was just this little pathetic man that it's just not worth my time, my thought, my energy. Even though it had taken a stalking conviction, it was meaningful that the company reached out to support her. I received an apology and lots of reassurance.

and they actually use that case now in training moving forward. So that's really positive, I think, that if something like that happened again, that maybe it would be dealt with differently. Hazel suspects that Mark's girlfriend found out that he was cheating on her. After Hazel broke up with him, she learned that his girlfriend had also kicked him out of the house. But more recently, Hazel saw Mark and his girlfriend together in their driveway.

That means Mark is still two roads away. So I drive past his house most days, but I do it with my head held high. He didn't win. Hazel has a permanent restraining order against Mark. He's not allowed on her road. But that only offers so much protection. It was scary knowing that Mark lived around the corner. For a while, Hazel thought about moving, but in the end, she decided to stay.

It didn't seem wrong. right that she should be the one forced out of their neighborhood. For Hazel, staying in her home symbolizes... He didn't win this. He didn't break me. She didn't want Mark to be the reason she left a place she loves deeply. She wanted to rebuild and make her home somewhere she felt comfortable again. So she decided to renovate.

I completely ripped out everything and started again. I kind of took back the safety of my house and made it. It's so different that if he walked in here, now, he wouldn't recognize it. She refuses to uproot her life because of what Mark did. Instead, she's leaned into her community and shifted her mindset. It's made me stronger. I will not take any shit. I won't.

I will not put up with anything. I will not be told I can't do something or be spoken about disrespectfully by anybody. Knowing the realities of stalking and harassment firsthand has informed her career. It's made me a better social worker in cases like this. I will share some of my story with some families. We'll sit and we'll talk about red flags. We asked Hazel to share the signs she encourages people to look out for. The massive one is love bombing.

If somebody is in love with you after a couple of people, the days, run for the hills. Like, run for the hills. You can't be in love with somebody after a couple of days. We end every weekly episode with the same question. Why do you want to share your story? What happened to me? I lighted the gaps in how people are protected.

There's professionals that are coming into your home. You would expect them to be safe. You would expect them to have checks. done on them to know that they are safe to be entering people's homes. This isn't just my story. It's about awareness, accountability, and reminding people to put their safety first. On the next episode of Betrayal Weekly. My sister starts receiving these text messages from an unknown number.

Who else is getting these messages? Why did it start with us? If you'd like to share your story on betrayal, please email Betrayalpod at gmail.com. That is Betrayal P-O-D at gmail.com. Please note that we are not a mental health organization. If you are in crisis or currently experiencing domestic violence, we encourage you to seek local help or dial 911. Please contact organizations that offer immediate support.

In our show notes, we've included a list of U.S.-based resources. You can follow us on Instagram at Betrayal Pod or find me at It's Andrea Gunning. To access our newsletter and additional content and to connect with the Betrayal community, join our substack at Betrayal.substack.com. We're grateful for your support. One way to show support is by subscribing to our show on Apple Podcasts. Don't forget to rate and review Betrayal.

Five-star reviews go a long way. Big thank you to all of our listeners. Betrayal is a production of Glass Podcasts, a division of Glass Entertainment Group in partnership with IHeart Podcasts. The show is executive produced by Nancy Glass and Jennifer Fasin. Hosted and produced by me, Andrea Gunning. Written and produced by Olivia Hewitt. Our story editor is Monique Laborde.

Also produced by Ben Federman. Our associate producer is Leah Jablo. Production Management by Kristen Mulcuri. Booking support by Curry Richmond. Our I-Heart team is Ali Perry and Dressica Crime Check. Audio editing by Tanner Robbins with additional editing and mixing by Matt Albekio. Betrayals theme composed by Oliver Baines. Music Library provided by My Music.

And for more podcasts from IHeart, visit the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, Portlandia fans. Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen here. The Dream of the 90s. is alive in podcast form. We're launching Podlandia, A-O. Rewatch, our brand-new podcast where we revisit every episode of Portlandia together,

breaking down sketches, going deep on our iconic characters, and pulling back the curtain on how it all got made. And we'll also be joined by the people who helped bring it all to life. Guest stars, collaborators, and friends, including director Jonathan Chrysall, the mayor himself, Kyle McLaughlin,

legendary musician Amy Mann, and many more. Kyle is going for it here. You fully improvise, not just words, but a song about it. Well, I thought you were all going to write a song. I remember you thinking that. Listen to Podlandia. A.O. Rewatch on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

What's up, fam, it's sports journalist Ari Chambers. Hey, what's up, y'all? It's your girl, Sam J. And we're the hosts of everyone watches women's sports, a new podcast from together. We're breaking down the biggest headlines, the viral moments, and the stories everyone's talking about across women's sports. From game-changing performances to culture should be. in conversations, we'll give you our takes, our debates, and a few laughs along the way.

Because everyone watches women's sports. Listen to everyone watches women's sports. On the IHeart Radio app. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is Chelsea Handler from Dear Chelsea. Every week, the news gets worse. The world gets crazier and Yamanika is here to tell whoever's

responsible, you're the problem. Do you know I just found out who Sidney Sweeney was? If he got a bunch of women, then I should have a bunch of men. Do better. or do less so I don't have to do so much. I'm Yamanika, and I'm out. Listen to you're the problem with Yamanika

on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. My first guest is Paris Hilton, Shakira, Luke and Yerrin. You have surprises? Many surprises. Welcome to the Sweet 305 podcast where the group check comes to life.

What a lot? You're the only person I know that loves a yellow starburst. It's lemonade. This is Sweet 305. Here, oversharing is encouraged. Listen to Suite 305 with Llepon's on the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHart podcast, guaranteed human.