(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

If you were going to cheat, you probably wouldn’t do it on a Tuesday at 6.23am.

Nope, instead you’re going to do it at a time when you have the opportunity. When you’ve got an alibi, you’re not stuck in the office, and you’re not so exhausted you’d much rather just have a lie down alone.

So it makes sense that a new survey has found the ‘peak time’ for affairs in the UK is 6.45pm on a Friday night.

We appreciate the specificity.


The results come from Illicit Encounters, a dating site designed for married people to have affairs – so they know their stuff when it comes to cheating.



They surveyed 1,000 people and found that the majority carried out their naughty business at 6.45pm on a Friday, using a social night with coworkers as an excuse for where they’d gone.

It’s thought that peak affair time happens just after people leave work on a Friday night, leaving on time because it’s the start of the weekend. They usually get home by midnight so they don’t arouse suspicion.

Preferred days for cheating, in order of most popular to least: Friday Tuesday Thursday Wednesday Monday Saturday Sunday



On average, affair-havers were found to see their sidepiece twice a week, with Tuesday night the second most popular night for getting busy.

And yes, people having affairs do tend to be fairly predictable in when they’ll go and bone, as 64% of those surveyed said they stick to a regular routine for cheating as it’s the best way to cover their tracks. So if your partner is suddenly going out for a late night with the boys every Wednesday, you might be right to be suspicious.

The most common cover-up cheats use for their extramarital activities is that they’re working late or seeing friends from work, with 92% saying they have used this reason for their absence.

Top excuses cheaters give for coming home late: Out with work colleagues Going to the gym Seeing an old friend Being delayed by traffic Shopping

The second most popular excuse was going to the gym or doing other exercise, with 74% of adulterers having tried that one, followed by seeing an old friend, being delayed by traffic or going shopping.

Illicit Encounters spokesman Christian Grant said: ‘What this new research shows is that cheats are creatures of habit.

‘They have strict routines which they tend to stick to when they are seeing their lover.

‘If your partner regularly goes out with work colleagues on a Friday night, this should raise suspicions, particularly if they always go out with you the following night.

The Saturday night date is partly due to guilt over the Friday night liaison.

‘Having a regular routine means that cheats can stick to the same script when being asked about their whereabouts – making it less likely their affair is rumbled.’

20 signs the spark in a relationship has gone: You have little to no sex

You don’t cuddle at night

You stop saying ‘I love you’

You don’t do things together

You don’t go on ‘dates’

You ‘let yourself go’

Sleeping in different rooms/beds

You criticise one another over little things

You cheated on them/they cheated

You don’t hold hands

Not paying compliments

You don’t cuddle up on the sofa

You opt for sleep over sex

You stop kissing each other goodbye

The thought of having sex with them is revolting

You go to bed at different times

You don’t ‘try as hard’ to look nice for a night out

You stop celebrating anniversaries/special occasions

You’d rather go on holiday with your friends than your partner

You spend more time on social media than talking to your partner

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