Ever wondered what goes on behind the nation's closed doors? Or rather between the nation's bedsheets, behind those closed doors?
A survey revealing the secrets of Britain's adulterers has shown that an enormous 57% have slept with both their spouse and lover in a 24-hour period.
The research was conducted by AshleyMadison.com, an infidelity dating website whose tag line is "Life is short, have an affair".
Of the 21,600 members surveyed – including 10,900 men and 10,700 women – 88% had cheated on their partner, with 84% of women cheating with five or fewer partners, and 33% of men cheating with six or more.
Cheating Celebrity Men
Brad Pitt(01 of10)
Open Image ModalBrad Pitt has always denied cheating on Jennifer Aniston, but he was heavily rumoured to have been hooking up with Angelina Jolie while they filmed Mr and Mrs Smith together. Photo: bauergriffinonline.com
David Letterman(02 of10)
Open Image ModalDavid Letterman confessed to a string of affairs with female colleagues after he became the victim of an alleged blackmail attempt in September 2009. Photo: AP
Gareth Gates(03 of10)
Open Image ModalGareth Gates was alleged to have been conducting an affair with his young 'Les Miserables' co-star Katie Hall, while his wife Suzanne was at home looking after their young child. Photo: Getty Images
Hugh Grant(04 of10)
Open Image ModalHugh Grant stunned us all when he cheated on then girlfriend Liz Hurley with Los Angeles street prostitute Divine Brown in 1995. Unfortunately for him, he was busted by the police as well as by Liz. Photo: Getty Images
John Terry(05 of10)
Open Image ModalChelsea footballer John Terry lost the England captaincy after it emerged he'd cheated on his wife Toni with the partner of his former team-mate Wayne Bridge. Photo: AP
Jude Law(06 of10)
Open Image ModalJude Law was exposed as cheating on Sienna Miller when Daisy Wright sold her story to the press. He got dumped for his troubles, but still Sienna took him back a few years later. Photo: bauergriffinonline.com
Mark Owen(07 of10)
Open Image ModalTake That star Mark Owen has confessed to having affairs with 10 women since he began seeing his wife - almost putting him on par with Tiger Woods in the infidelity stakes. Photo: Getty Images
Tiger Woods(08 of10)
Open Image ModalGolfing legend Tiger hit the headlines in spectacular fashion in 2009 when a string of women came forward claiming to have had affairs with him. Photo: AP
Vernon Kay(09 of10)
Open Image ModalVernon Kay has confessed to sending sexy texts to a number of different women, leaving wife Tess Daly furious but still standing by him. Photo: AP
Wayne Rooney(10 of10)
Open Image ModalFootballers these days seem virtually unable to keep their trousers zipped up. Wayne Rooney allegedly paid hooker Juicy Jenny £1200-a-night, meeting up for a rumoured seven or more romps, all while wife Coleen was pregnant with baby Kai. Photo: Getty Images
Fewer people admitted to being cheated on, but -- of those who had been wronged by a spouse -- many revealed they went on to cheat in retaliation.
Almost half of men surveyed had been with their current affair partner for less than three months, whereas 41% of women had been cheating with the same man for between three to six months, suggesting that women prefer consistency, while men enjoy the thrill of a new mistress regularly.
It also seems the vast majority of cheaters are after an improved sex life. The survey shows that just 22% described their spouse as being good in bed, compared to a whopping 81% who described their affair partner as accomplished beneath the sheets.
That’s Cheating! (What You Didn’t Know About Affairs)
(01 of08)
Open Image Modal (credit:Alamy)
(02 of08)
Open Image ModalThe vast majority of male and female philanderers think that monogamy is an unnatural state for humans. (credit:Alamy)
(03 of08)
Open Image ModalThe vast majority of male and female philanderers think that monogamy is an unnatural state for humans. (credit:Alamy)
(04 of08)
Open Image ModalThe majority of UK adulterers still love their spouses and have no intention of getting divorced. (credit:Alamy)
(05 of08)
Open Image ModalWomen are far more likely to tell someone else about their affair than men. (credit:Alamy)
(06 of08)
Open Image ModalAdulteresses tend to be significantly younger than adulterers. (credit:Alamy)
(07 of08)
Open Image ModalThe vast majority of cheaters are having their affairs in secret, unbeknown to their husband or wife. (credit:Alamy)
(08 of08)
Open Image ModalMany adulterers are hypocrites! Over 40% of female cheaters and almost 30% of male cheaters would ask for a divorce if they discovered their spouse was having an affair. (credit:Alamy)
Adulterers also seem keen to project an image of chastity, with many women telling their husbands that they have had less sexual partners than in reality, whereas in contrast, 73% of women are happy to be honest with their lover about their past sexual history.
Such honesty indicates that there is a camaraderie amongst cheaters, and an understanding that it’s not shameful to have multiple notches on one’s bedpost.
The survey suggests that sexual repression is prone to exploding and that unfulfilled spouses will seek satisfaction away from the marital bed, as the vast majority of those polled admitted to feeling more confident in sharing their sexual needs and desires with their lover than partner.
Perhaps surprisingly, cheaters still have rigid views of what constitutes cheating, with 96% of men and 98% of women believing that kissing someone else is adulterous. In contrast though, as affairs often form with the help of modern technology, only 32% of men thought that ‘sexting’ was transgressive, whilst 67% of women cited it as so.
A divide between the genders transpired when questioned on whether they had cheated when drunk, with 89% admitting to doing so, in contrast to only 49% of women, suggesting that when women cheat, it is a more conscious, sober decision.