It may seem as if there is currently a tidal wave of affairs hitting the headlines, however the UK’s leading extra-marital dating website is reporting that an affair is happening within one in ten marriages – and that’s just on one dating site.

IllicitEncounters.com, the UK’s largest extra-marital dating website, is celebrating its tenth year this year, and over the last ten years the site has seen consistent growth in the number of people looking to engage in an affair. With over 850,000 members, approximately 6% of the UK’s married population are logging on in search of an extra-marital tryst.

Spokesperson for IllicitEncounters.com, Ava Cooper commented: “I think that everyone can think of someone in their friendship circle who has been unfaithful? Having spoken with the members on the site, I understand the reasons why people look for intimacy outside of their relationship, and the changes in attitudes towards people who have committed adultery has been staggering over the past 10 years. Illicit Encounters started ten years ago to give married people a safe and secure environment to rediscover romance and passion with other like minded individuals, and most importantly – not to judge. It seems that whilst having an affair may still be as taboo as it was ten years ago, more people are understanding of why people may do it.”

Music and Film legends, Sport stars, Royalty and President’s have long been condemned in public for committing adultery, however a change has taken place with celebrities talking openly about the challenges marriage. Gwyneth Paltrow, recently spoke publicly on her understanding of extra marital affairs saying: “I am a great romantic – but I also think you can be a romantic and a realist.
Life is complicated and long and I know people that I respect and admire and look up to who have had extra-marital affairs.
It’s like we’re flawed – we’re human beings and sometimes you make choices that other people are going to judge.”

Research conducted by IllicitEncounters.com in 2006 showed that only one in eight couples would try and work through an affair; in 2013 the same study revealed that number had over halved – with just one in three couples willing to put in the extra effort required work through an infidelity. The same study showed that in 2006, 82% of people thought that having an affair was the worst thing their partner could do in a relationship, while the 2013 study showed only 57% said infidelity was the worst thing they could do.

Hardly the most romantic setting in amongst the poultry and vegetable displays of the local supermarket, but it seems the weekly food shop is for some a prime opportunity to catch someone’s eye while checking out the ‘deal of the week’ at the same time, multi tasking indeed.

A new survey from the UK’s leading dating site for married people IllicitEncounters.com has revealed the shopping habits of people looking for an extra-marital tryst. The survey of Illicit Encounter’s 800,000 members were questioned on their supermarket preferences and food shopping habits.

The number one supermarket for men who are looking for an affair is upmarket Waitrose, with quality renowned Sainsbury’s topping the list for women.

Spokesperson for IllicitEncounters.com Mike Taylor said “Becoming more concerned with one’s health and diet is often a dead giveaway for an affair, shopping for healthier or buying organic food can indicate a new relationship and a keenness to take extra care of yourself. We all want to look and feel our best when meeting someone new as we are viewed in a totally different light by this person; it’s a chance to reboot ourselves and start a-fresh. Men see Waitrose as the quality choice for food shopping, whilst women see Sainsbury’s as an ideal combination of both quality and value for money.”

The study also revealed that those members who had started an extra-marital relationship admitted to eating healthier and spending more money on supermarket ‘best’ ranges of food. This is as much about a change of routine as it is health driven; trying new foods and breaking eating habits is intrinsically linked to a change of mind-set when deciding to start an affair.

Despite celebrity endorsements and advertisements, Iceland came bottom of the list of supermarkets likely to be frequented by members of IllicitEncounters.com

Stay at home Dads are no longer a laughing stock. In fact, they are more common than most would think with 1 in 7 families now having Dad as the primary carer, while Mum heads out to the office. The collapse of the gender pay gap -women under 30 now earn more than men and older women are usually only paid less if they take time off to bring up families – means mothers are highly likely to have fatter pay packets than fathers, making it more economical for some Dads to stay at home. As figures are now 10 times higher than back in the 90’s, with 2012 reaching record highs of Dads holding the fort, we ask; does this make these Dads an irresistible target for other women?

Seeing a man with a baby or a puppy is like an aphrodisiac for women, and as Hugh Grant discovered in the movie, About a Boy, while trying to gatecrash a single parents meeting; women like men who are good with children. A male showing his sensitive side sets him apart from regular guys, making the female heart soften while reassuring the ladies that he could surely understand her needs better than most males. So imagine then, the excitement when a fresh Dad walks into a playday with his kids; it’s a Diet Coke moment. What do have here? A man, a father, a carer happy to relieve his wife of some parenting duties? What a wonderful man! These ladies are seeing Mr Stay at Home at his absolute best. You can imagine women huddling together delighted to discuss the handsome new comer with a Desperate Housewives vibe filling the air.

And how do men feel with their newfound fame? The attention must be flattering, and the interest in seemingly mundane tasks mothers have to perform is met with female praise making him suddenly, the best thing ever. Even the most loyal of men would miss this spotlight thrust on them if it were taken away, surely?

Illicit Encounters member *Jeff, tells us his story “ When I was made redundant from my job, my wife and I decided that rather than continue to pay the high rates of child care for our two daughters, I would stay home and look after them while I figured out my next move. My wife has a very good position as an account manager at a top advertising agency, and as a career lady she was not looking to be a fulltime at home mum. I took some time to adjust to my new role, and after a while I felt confident enough to mix with the other parents – who were mainly mums at play dates and coffee mornings. I noticed instantly that the women were different around me, flirty and some openly suggestive – it was almost like I was the new kid at school. I was aroused and excited at the attention, who wouldn’t be? I have a great relationship with my wife, but like many marriages we have become more like brother and sister over the years, and the romance had somewhat disappeared. I felt very tempted and sometimes I had to stop myself from flirting back, but I found myself wanting the attention. At that point, I decided to join Illicit Encounters. There’s no way I would ever get involved with one of the women in my circle – that would be ridiculously stupid, and also risk the embarrassment of my whole family if something were to become public. On the website I just like to chat with women, and yes flirt a little – it gives me the same high that I discovered through my new role, but without anyone getting hurt. I’m also learning a great deal about females just by talking to different women, and I feel this is benefiting my marriage positively”

*Jeff’s story is not uncommon as recent research tells us that 1 in 5 men feel less of a man when they take up this traditionally female role. Feeling they are somehow playing second fiddle to their wives is not an easy transition for some, meaning the attention from other women can help re-establish their power as a man and reassert himself into his new found society as a key player outside of the home once again. While some working Mums are grateful to their stay at home partners, the temptation to emasculate them is also strong and requires a fine balance between gratitude, and remembering the change for some men needs as much attention as their hard earned careers.