Debbi Wood struggles with jealousy so much towards her husband Steve she would make him do a lie detector test whenever he went out – as well as limiting what he watched on TV
It all stemmed from the fact that he was seeing someone else before they officially became boyfriend and girlfriend.
Trust is essential in a healthy relationships, but it’s inevitable to have slight insecurities from time-to-time. Whereas most people would brush any suspicions off, one woman admitted she would make her husband take a lie detector every time he went out to prove he didn’t do anything wrong.
Debbi Wood has been nicknamed the ‘world’s most jealous woman’ – a title she received because her husband Steve has to abide by her strict demands, which they down to chat about in an episode of ITV’s This Morning back in 2013.
The idea of the lie detector test came after Steve made a passing comment about not having done anything wrong, and would “even take a lie detector to prove it,” which spurred his wife to make a purchase. This happened right at the beginning of their relationship, when they lived very far away from each other.
Because they hadn’t specified whether they were boyfriend and girlfriend, Steve was also seeing someone else. Debbi then became “resentful” of Steve for the “slight deception” which evolved into extreme jealousy – resulting in Steve having to take a lie detector to prove his innocence. Things got so extreme that Debbi would also check his phone records and bank statements.
To justify her actions, Debbi said: “Well, when you’ve got a good man, you’re not going to let him go, are you?” The following year, the pair returned to the show, and Steve claimed they had slowed down on the testing and said they use the tests “as many times in a month as [they] would in a week” and sometimes “even less than that” and added it’s “more like once in a blue moon”.
The pair also revealed that Steve has restrictions on what he can watch on TV too, to keep his wife’s jealousy at bay and reassure her he wasn’t “eyeing up women” on TV – so he isn’t allowed to watch any shows with women in. Debbi told The Mail: “One night, an advert for a women’s razor came on television and I felt panicky thinking that Steve was eyeing the model up. The only thing that could put my mind at rest was banning him from watching any programmes that have women in them.”
She further explained she can “understand a man admiring somebody that’s beautiful because all women have an inner beauty and an outer beauty” however her issue is when men start “sexually fantasising” about other women – something she doesn’t want Steve to do.
Debbi explained that she had a “previous traumatic relationship” that has led to her jealousy issues, as well as being diagnosed with a “recognised medical condition” called Othello Syndrome. According to the National Library of Medicine, it’s a condition that is a “psychotic disorder characterised by the delusion of infidelity or jealousy; it often occurs in the context of medical, psychiatric or neurological disorders.”
Although Steve is restricted to doing certain things in their marriage, which can take a toll on the pair, he said: “When we’re not arguing about this, our relationship is absolutely amazing. I make her laugh in ways she’s never laughed before. She makes me laugh in ways I’ve never laughed before.”