An insane number of people admit to cheating over the festive period – survey

If you thought it was lads' or girls' holidays that you had to watch out for, think again.

A third of people admit to having cheated on their partners over the festive period, a new survey says. Yep, according to the 1,000 people who spoke to affairs website Illicit Encounters, one in three of us are Christmas cheats. It makes this the number one time for cheating, ahead of New Year's Eve and summer holidays. Two thirds of those who admitted to being unfaithful said that they'd drank alcohol before cheating on their other halves. The work Christmas party is the number one place for fling to happen, with 57 per cent of people saying they'd gotten off with a colleague. Of these people, three quarters say that they were flirting with them at work in the the run-up to the party. Interestingly, just 32 per cent of cheaters said that they regretted it. The data also shows that women are slightly more likely to cheat than men - 35 per cent compared to 31 per cent. Just one in ten people who cheat over the festive period (11 per cent) end up being caught by their loved one.

"Beware of the Christmas party season because it is a hotbed for affairs," said IllicitEncounters.com spokesman Christian Grant.

“Sexual tensions which have been bubbling up over the course of the working year finally explode due to drink and the opportunity to grab a kiss under the mistletoe."