* The quaint town in the Cotswolds has topped the charts in the UK’s most popular places for extramarital affairs, with 6.98% of the town’s population straying in 2024.
* Swindon has been revealed as the UK’s most faithful town, with only 0.35% of its residents involved in affairs.
* Nationwide infidelity is on the rise, with UK affairs up 8% since the start of the year – the highest annual rise in 20 years.
* Figures are taken from the annual Infidelity Index data provided by IllicitEncounters.com, the UK’s leading affairs site.
The picturesque town of Cheltenham has become the UK’s surprising new hotbed for infidelity, topping the nation’s rankings with 6.98% of its population reportedly involved in affairs.
The spike in extramarital activity in Cheltenham – now known as the UK’s adultery capital – has been attributed to what experts are dubbing the “Rivals effect,” after the recent television adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s novel, Rivals, which has sparked intrigue among locals in the Cotswolds.
The annual Infidelity Index statistics released by extramarital dating site IllicitEncounters.com shows the UK’s cheating hotspots, also revealed that since the release of the Disney+ series in October, sign-ups across the Cotswolds have risen by a whopping 47%.
Hot on Cheltenham’s heels is the leafy town of Farnham in Surrey, where 5.99% of residents are engaging in affairs, followed by Motherwell in Lanarkshire with a rate of 5.63%. While these towns might appear quaint, it seems behind the scenes, passion is heating up.
Meanwhile, Swindon in Wiltshire is celebrating a very different title: the UK’s most faithful town, with only 0.35% of the population reportedly straying. Close behind are Bracknell (Berkshire) and Dewsbury (West Yorkshire), with just 0.36% and 0.39% of residents involved in extramarital affairs.
This year’s poll also reveals a national rise in infidelity, with affairs up 8% across the UK since the start of the year – the highest annual rise in the 20 years since the affairs site was founded.
Commenting on this year’s Infidelity Index results, sex and relationships expert at IllicitEncounters.com, Jessica Leoni said, “While picturesque towns like Cheltenham may seem serene on the surface, data suggests that love lives here are anything but tranquil.”
Leoni also acknowledges that the latest Disney+ show Rivals might be fueling some extra curiosity this year. “A show like Rivals doesn’t directly cause an affair,” she clarifies, “but its mix of forbidden love and glamorous Cotswold settings adds a layer of fantasy that can influence people’s perspectives on relationships, especially in places like Cheltenham where the show feels close to home.”
Most affairs in 2024
- Cheltenham (Gloucestershire) 6.98% of town population
- Farnham (Surrey) 5.99%
- Motherwell (Lanarkshire) 5.63%
- Warwick (Warwickshire) 5.61%
- Braintree (Essex) 5.55%
- Rhyl (Denhbigshire) 5.36%
- Borehamwood (Hertfordshire) 5.35%
- Newbury (Berkshire) 5.23%
- Frome (Somerset) 5.18%
- Wilmslow (Cheshire) 5.12%
Most faithful in 2024
- Swindon (Wiltshire) 0.35% of town population
- Bracknell (Berkshire) 0.36%
- Dewsbury (West Yorkshire) 0.39%
- Castlereagh (Castlereagh) 0.44%
- Rotherham (South Yorkshire) 0.58%
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