Doncaster women 'likely to cheat' less than four years after wedding day

The ‘Seven Year Itch’ has been halved after it was revealed that female cheats have their first lapse five months faster than men.

Men who are unfaithful to their partners first cheat three years and ten months into a relationship on average.

The results are from a new poll by IllicitEncounters.com, the UK’s leading affairs site.

The findings shatter the myth that couples go through a ‘Seven Year Itch’ when cheating is most likely.

In fact, the first signs of trouble for couples likely to cheat come in around half that time.

The research found that men and women have very different reasons for cheating, with emotional problems the main factor for women whereas sex, opportunity and peer group pressure are much more important for men.

The top five reasons for women cheating are:

1 Boredom - they run out of things to say to their partner

2 We have grown apart since lockdown

3 Reconnected with an old flame on social media

4 I’ve changed since my wedding day

5 I lapsed when I was drunk

The top five reasons for men cheating are

1 I need more sex

2 I got bored with my relationship in lockdown

3 I am too young to commit to one partner

4 I met someone on a night out

5 A mate cheated and I felt I was missing out.

IllicitEncounters.com sex and relationship expert Jessica Leoni said: “The Seven Year Itch has been halved in South Yorkshire with relationships first hitting a rocky patch far earlier than in previous years.

“This trend has been going on for several years and it has been accelerated by Covid.

“Life’s too short to be stuck in a dull relationship where there is a little conversation and the sex is the same every time.

“People are sticking with their partners because they cannot afford to move but then getting fresh excitement by having discreet affairs.

“We expect the time when people first cheat to come down even faster over the next few years as unhappy partners increasingly live for the moment without thinking about the consequences.”

The typical female member of IllicitEncounters.com cheats on their partner three times in their first year on the site.

Male members cheat slightly less often - at 2.5 times on average.

More than one a million people have registered with IlliicitEncounters.com in the last decade and there has been a 25% surge in registrations since the Covid crisis with people seeking new partners after becoming bored with their long-term relationship in lockdown.