Red Tuesday: Why tomorrow is top day of the year to be dumped in Doncaster

More couples split up in the week of Valentine’s than any other week of the year – and the peak day for dumping is 48 hours before the big day making February 12 Red Tuesday.

In new research, it was revealed that more than a third of people surveyed (37%) said they had broken with a lover in the week before Valentine’s.

The vast majority of people prefer to end a relationship without meeting their estranged partner face-to-face.

The most popular way to dump someone is by text, chosen by 31% of respondents, followed by a phone call (28%), in person (27%), over Facebook (8%), by Whatsapp (4%) and over Twitter (2%).

The results are from a new survey of 2,000 people by IllicitEncounters.com, the UK’s leading dating site for married people.

It found that while Red Tuesday was the most popular day for dumping, it was also one of the peak days to see an illicit lover ahead of Valentine’s.

Eight out of ten people (78%) having an affair with IllicitEncounters.com still choose to spend Valentine’s Day with their regular partner.

Only 16% - one in six - will leave their regular partner in the lurch and go out for a date with their lover on February 14.

The preferred date nights for people having affairs ahead of Valentine’s were the three days before - with February 13 the most likely for an illicit date.

Those having an affair spend an average of £90 on a gift for their lover, compared to £50 on the gift for their partner - 80% more for the mistress.

The reason there are so many break-ups in the most romantic week of the year is that February 14 focuses people’s minds on whether their relationship is really working.

It is easier to call it quits ahead of Valentine’s - saving a money on a gift and also not having to make false declarations of love.

IllicitEncounters.com spokesman Christian Grant said: “The period between Christmas and February is a popular time for people to spring clean their love lives as well as their homes.

“This period of reflection reaches its peak in the week before Valentine’s when there are more break-ups than at any other time of the year.

“For lots of people, it is easier to call time on a relationship rather than pretend everything is fine and tell lots of white lies.

“Dumping someone electronically is rising in popular with three-quarters of people breaking up with someone over the phone rather than in person.

“Everyone will have seen unhappy couples pretending that they enjoying each other’s company on dinner dates on Valentine’s Day.

“What’s more interesting is looking at the body language of couples out on February 11, 12 or 13 - they are likely to be having a lot more fun while having an affair, celebrating Valentine’s together a few days early before returning to their partners.”

More than one million people have registered with IllicitEncounters.com since the site was started more than ten years ago.

It is enjoying a bumper start to 2019 with registrations up 25% in the first six weeks, as increasing numbers of unhappy spouses act on their New Year’s Resolution to shake up their relationship by starting an affair.