Almost half of women have admitted to thinking about another man while they were making love with their current partner, according to a new study.

The research found that 46 per cent of women and 42 per cent men have had secret thoughts about a third party during sex.

And for many women, that fantasy figure is close to home with the majority picturing a close friend or colleague at work.

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A new survey has revealed that 46 per cent of women and 42 per cent of men have thought about a third party while in bed with their current partner

Just under a third of women (30 per cent) and a quarter of men (25 per cent) have had sex with the person they have previously fantasised about.

Some 26 per cent of women and 22 per cent of men have also had sex with a work colleague they have lusted after.

The results are revealed in a new survey of 1,300 people by the sex toy brand Lovehoney.

It found that one in five women (20 per cent) and 11 per cent of men have fantasised about having sex with their boss.

And for many the fantasies weren't just innocent but a harbinger of things to come as 8 per cent of women and 2 per cent of men have gone the whole hog and bedded the boss who they fancied.

The study found that 70 per cent of women and 63 per cent of men also fantasise about what sex will be like when they go into a relationship with a new partner before they go to bed.

The new lover lives up to expectations for 62 per cent of women - that still leaves 38 per cent who feel he is a bit of a let down.

Men are a little easier to please when they sleep with a woman for the first time - with 68 per cent saying she lived up to his expectations and only 32 per cent disappointed.

The study also revealed one in five women have fantasised about having sex with their boss

In order to curb their disappointment, plenty of lovers re-live former glories in their head while they are having sex with their current partner, the survey found.

Six out of ten men and women say they have sometimes done this and 15 per cent of men and 14 per cent of women say they do it often.

A third of women and 42 per cent of men say they sometimes fantasise about having sex again with their first love or a romantic partner from their past who they remember fondly. For 12 per cent of men and women these same fantasies happen often.

A further 31 per cent of women and 23 per cent of men have slept again with their first love years after they broke up.

All this fantasising about past loves is seen as harmless fun by 60 per cent of women and 66 per cent of men whereas more than third of both sexes reckon it does feel like cheating.

A Lovehoney spokesperson said that it as long as it remains in your imagination it's completely innocent.

'Lots of people do reminisce fondly about former lovers - it is perfectly harmless thing to do as long as you are not intent on living out that fantasy if you are with someone else.