* 1 in 3 admit lavish presents are used to “throw spouses off the scent” of their infidelity.
* Cheaters spend up to 38% more on Christmas gifts once an affair begins.
* Experts warn expensive gifts can be a form of festive gaslighting.
* Study conducted by IllicitEncounters.com, the UK’s largest extramarital dating site.

Christmas is supposed to be the season of giving – but new research suggests that some gifts may come with strings attached. A poll involving 2,600 members of IllicitEncounters.com, the UK’s largest extramarital dating site, has revealed that lavish presents are often less about generosity and more about guilt.

According to the survey, people who are having an affair spend up to 38% more on their spouse’s Christmas gift compared to before their infidelity. And while guilt plays a role, the motivation is often more calculated. 

One in three admitted that a key reason for splashing out was to “throw spouses off the scent” – making suspicion seem unreasonable. As one respondent put it: “Why would someone who bought you a £2,000 necklace be cheating?”

This tactic, experts say, amounts to a form of gaslighting. By showering their spouse with extravagant gifts, cheaters create a narrative of devotion that makes any doubts feel irrational. 

This strategy is particularly common at Christmas, when generosity is expected and big-ticket presents can be framed as festive indulgence rather than suspicious overcompensation. In fact, 41% of those who cheated said Christmas was the easiest time of year to disguise guilt spending as romance or tradition.

The survey also revealed the most popular “cover‑up” gifts chosen by cheating spouses this Christmas. For men, the top five presents being given to wives are jewellery (32%), designer handbags (24%), perfume (19%), spa vouchers (15%) and weekend getaways (12%). 

Women, meanwhile, are favouring splashing out on watches (28%), high‑end tech gifts (22%), expensive clothing (18%), aftershave (14%) and concert tickets (11%). 

IllicitEncounters.com’s sex and relationships expert, Jessica Leoni, says the findings reveal a darker side to festive generosity. “Lavish Christmas gifts can be a form of emotional misdirection,” she explains. “For some cheaters, it’s not just about easing guilt – it’s about control. An expensive present creates a psychological shield, making the faithful partner doubt their own instincts and feel unreasonable for questioning suspicious behaviour.”

Leoni adds that Christmas is the perfect backdrop for this tactic. “The festive period comes with huge expectations around romance, gratitude and ‘making an effort’. A big, show-stopping gift ticks all the boxes of what a ‘good partner’ should do at Christmas, even if their behaviour the rest of the year tells a very different story. If something feels off, it’s worth remembering that price tags don’t equal honesty.”

Results
Top 5 “cover-up” gifts from men to women
Jewellery (32%)
Designer handbags (24%)
Perfume (19%)
Spa vouchers (15%)
Weekend getaways (12%)

Top 5 “cover-up” gifts from women to men
Watches (28%)
High‑end tech (22%)
Designer clothing (18%)
Aftershave (14%)
Concert tickets (11%)

* 31% of Brits admit to cheating at their work Christmas party – and 63% say they “pre-selected” the colleague they wanted to hook up with before the big night.
* Nearly 1 in 5 festive flings (19%) turn into long-term affairs, and only 15% feel any next-day regret.
* People working in finance, media and hospitality top the list of the most ‘dangerous’ professions for Christmas party infidelity.
* Study conducted by IllicitEncounters.com, the UK’s largest extramarital dating site

With glittering decorations and flowing fizz, the office Christmas party is often the highlight of the corporate calendar. But for a surprisingly large number of Brits, the event is less about festive cheer and more about secret flings, with new research revealing the shocking scale of infidelity at Christmas work parties.

A study of 2,800 UK adults by the extramarital dating site IllicitEncounters.com has uncovered the truth about workplace party antics, finding that 31% of people admit to having cheated on their partner at a Christmas party.

The data suggests these illicit encounters are often far from spontaneous. A telling 63% of those who strayed confessed they had mentally “pre-selected” a colleague they were hoping to hook up with before the event even began. 

For nearly 1 in 5 (19%), what started as a tipsy one-night stand escalated into a long-term affair. Perhaps most surprisingly, only 15% reported feeling immediate regret the next morning, suggesting many see it as a calculated risk rather than a drunken mistake.

The research also identified a clear ranking of the most ‘dangerous’ professions when it comes to office party infidelity, based on the percentage of employees in each sector admitting to festive cheating:

Top 10 Most ‘Dangerous’ Professions for Christmas Party Cheating:

1. Finance – 43%
2. Media & Advertising – 37%
3. Hospitality & Events – 32%
4. Sales & Retail Management – 29%
5. Legal Sector – 26%
6. Creative Arts & Design – 24%
7. Tech & IT – 21%
8. Healthcare – 19%
9. Education – 16%
10. Construction – 14%

Michael*, 34, an investment banker from London, shared his experience: “The party is the open secret. You spend weeks building up to it, spotting who’s single or who’s been giving you that look in meetings. Last year, I’d been low-key flirting with a woman from the design team for months.

At the party, with a few drinks and the boss gone, it just… happened. We booked a taxi to hers before the last round was called. My girlfriend thought I was in a hotel with colleagues. It was thrilling, and honestly, no regrets. We still message sometimes.”

Jessica Leoni, sex and relationships expert for IllicitEncounters.com, comments: “The office Christmas party creates a perfect storm for infidelity. It’s a sanctioned event where normal rules are suspended – hierarchies flatten, alcohol flows freely, and everyone is dressed to impress.

Professions in the finance sector top the list because they often combine high-pressure, long-hours cultures with lavish, expensed parties. The ‘work hard, play hard’ mentality can easily blur personal and professional boundaries.

For many, the lack of immediate regret is telling. An affair that starts at a Christmas party can feel like a separate, compartmentalised part of their life – a secret gift they’ve given themselves before returning to the realities of family life over the holidays. It’s a dangerous, but for some, irresistible festive tradition.”

*Name has been changed

* Friday 5th December is ‘Unfaithful Friday’, the most popular day in the winter for having an affair.
* Extramarital dating site IllicitEncounters.com reported a 31% increase in activity among members in the leadup to ‘Unfaithful Friday’.
*  77% of married people declared they’ve made plans to meet up with their lovers on ‘Unfaithful Friday’, with the largest number of rendezvous (59%) scheduled for this evening.

Today marks ‘Unfaithful Friday’, the busiest day of the year for secret winter affairs – and new data from IllicitEncounters.com, the UK’s biggest extramarital dating site, shows just how sharply cheating activity spikes before the chaos of Christmas begins.

The first Friday of December, known to adulterers as ‘Cheatmas’, historically sees married Brits rush to squeeze in one last secret meet-up before family festivities kick in.

Figures show a 31% spike in activity across the whole of the UK on the site in the run-up to the notorious ‘Unfaithful Friday’.

It comes as thousands of married Brits take advantage of the last quiet weekend before the Christmas chaos of office parties, school plays, family gatherings and endless shopping trips.

In a survey conducted by the UK’s leading married dating site involving 2,400 members, a whopping 77% declared they’ve made plans to meet up with their lovers on ‘Unfaithful Friday’. Of those, 59% will be meeting this evening, 28% will be having an afternoon rendezvous and 13% will begin their day by spending time with their lovers.

Sex and relationships expert Jessica Leoni, of IllicitEncounters.com, said, “People are grabbing one last dose of excitement before entering what for many is a marathon of familial performance art.

The excuses are almost foolproof at this time of year – no one questions a late-night work drink in December or an afternoon lost in the shops. It’s the perfect alibi for a day that has become the annual peak of secret intimacy in Britain.”

One member, Lisa*, 37, from Bristol – who has made plans to meet her lover today – says, “From next week, my diary is insane – I’ll be going to my husband’s work do, there’s the kids’ nativity, and we’ll also be hosting his family on Boxing Day. Today is my one window.

“I’ve told him I’m doing a big Christmas shop with a girlfriend. In reality, I’ll be having a long lunch and a few hours of proper conversation with someone who actually listens to me. It’s about feeling like myself again before I have to be ‘mum’, ‘host’ and ‘wife’ for the next three weeks straight.”

Leoni adds a warning for suspicious partners: “If your other half is suddenly ‘unavailable’ today, unusually keen on a solo shopping trip, or has a strangely detailed story about helping a friend, your intuition might be ringing for a reason. ‘Cheatmas’ is the day when the secret world and the real world collide under the cover of tinsel and goodwill.”

*Name has been changed