A couple who has been polyamorous for over 20 years have revealed how they keep a healthy dynamic – despite being “in love” with other partners.

Andrea Peters, 41, and husband Brandon, 45, opened up their relationship not long after they started dating 23 years ago, to avoid having “regrets” about not having more experiences.

Since then, they have gone on to have long-term relationships with other people, with Andrea having a seven-year romance with one partner, and currently enjoying a four-year-strong partnership with another man – whom Brandon has met.

“Monogamy feels restrictive for me,” Andrea, who works in hospital revenue, told NeedToKnow.co.uk.

“I have two amazing relationships with people I love very much.

“What felt initially like a choice to become open and later polyamorous, was really just a process of me finding myself as a young adult.

“I had always been polyamorous.

“Freedom is very important in my relationships.

“I have freedom to pursue any other connections and don't have to limit myself simply because I'm in a relationship.”

Andrea is currently in a four-year-long relationship with partner David, while Brandon is not currently seeing anyone else after his last relationship ended in 2022.

The couple, who are based in Texas, US, have changed the ‘rules’ on how they handle things over the years.

Andrea explained: “We didn’t used to meet one another’s partners, but we knew about them.

“Brandon and David have met and have been in the same spaces numerous times.

“They’ve had some conversations and get along well, but don’t typically talk to one another much.

“I have met both of my current metas (that’s the term for a partner’s partner) and am friends with both of them.

“I don’t experience jealousy often.

“When I do, I try to figure out what is maybe causing it for me.

“Normally, it’s something I either need to sit back and process a bit or there’s something within my relationship that needs brought up.

“Jealousy is a natural human emotion and can be processed in a healthy way.”

The couple first started experimenting with polyamory more than two decades ago.

Andrea said: “Originally, Brandon and I opened our relationship not long after we started dating because we were young and didn't want to have later in life regrets about not having more experiences with dating around when we were younger.

“Our relationship was opened for fun experiences with others.

“A few years later, I started to fall in love with a casual partner.

“Brandon and I had a rule of ‘no falling in love’.

“[But] we both realised it wasn't important to keep that rule.

“That's when I started to realise I wanted relationships to be more than just casual.

“I ended up being with the partner who started off as casual for seven years and we had a great relationship.”

Despite the strong connection she has with another man, Andrea insists she and her husband make things work.

She said: “There are no real rules.

“I have relationship agreements with both of my partners, but those agreements don't have an impact on other relationships.

“Just as I value my own freedom, I value the freedom my partners have as well.

“I want to know if either of them is beginning a relationship with someone else, but they are free to do so.

“Most agreements are things like frequency of date nights, about respecting one another's boundaries, communication expectations – things like that.

“Relationships do not have to all look the same and fit into a box.

“Polyamorous people have whole relationships and it's not at all about things lacking in our relationships.

“I feel that's often misunderstood.”

ENDS