The Big Debate: Should You Date Your Best Friend’s Ex?

So, a very good friend of mine has found herself in a really tricky situation. She’s fallen madly in love with this guy she calls fine boy. They talk on phone everyday and he is always saying sweetest little things to her.
She really wants to accept his proposal of love and get into a relationship with him. However, there is one problem: this guy used to date her best friend a few months back but they broke up because things weren’t working out between them.
It’s been a few months, but she’s not sure that dating the guy is a good idea. She claims she has always had a crush on him, and now that she has a chance to actually date the guy, fear of what may happen to her friendship with her best friend is holding her back.
Dating your friend’s ex can be a really, really tricky situation. Your friend may believe that you were envious of his/her relationship and were secretly hoping it would fail so you could have your turn and, things could get nasty between you two. On the other hand, your friend may be okay with the situation and may even support you.
A couple of friends I asked about this issue said it depended on whether their friend broke up with the ex or it was the other way around. According to them, it was much easier for people to accept such a situation if they were the ones who broke up with their ex-es.
What do you think GC readers? Does it depend on who broke up with whom? Would you date your friend’s ex? How would you break it to your friend that you are dating his/her ex? Would you like it if your friend dated your ex