An old flame sat in the open (7)

I believe the answer is:

exposed

'in the open' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'an old flame sat' is the wordplay.
'an old flame' becomes 'ex' (an ex-lover).
'sat' becomes 'posed' ('pose' can be a synonym of 'sit').
'ex'+'posed'='EXPOSED'

(Other definitions for exposed that I've seen before include "in the nude" , "Uncovered, visible" , "Without cover" , "Deprived of protection" , "Brought to light" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.

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