For most people locked down and working from home with their partners right now, it's hard to imagine getting even a minute's peace. But, contrary to what you'd imagine, people are still managing to cheat on their partners - with cheating sites seeing an increase in users looking for affairs since the pandemic hit. In fact, Illicit Encounters has seen an 18% rise in activity from male members, and a 12% rise from female members in recent weeks.

More than half of these men said they'd initiated new affairs in the last four weeks, with 74% of them citing "boredom" as the reason for seeking out new lovers. 46% of female members have made contact with a new partner in that time - with the majority saying the coronavirus crisis had exposed the weakness of their relationship and made them realise they needed "fresh stimulus".

We know people are all over virtual dating right now, and considering phone sex and Skype sex to keep their sexual relationships alive. But how do you go about conducting an affair when you're in isolation or quarantining with your partner? What about when they're in the same house as you? Here, two people who are having affairs during lockdown explain why, and how, they're cheating.

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"My lover has been stressed since lockdown - I am his stress-buster,"

says Anna*, 31



"I have always had an extremely high sex drive and had slept with more than 100 men by the time I was in my early 20s. When I met my husband though, I decided to change. We got married when I was 24, and the first three years of the marriage were fantastic. I didn't look at another man.

Then, one weekend when he was away, I had sex with a former lover. After that, the genie was out of the bottle. I'd cop off with men on nights out with the girls, and have sex in all sorts of unusual places - parks, church yards, a cemetery. I got caught out by my husband, who said he would give me another chance if I didn't cheat again. I knew that was an impossible ask and we decided to split up.

"I will strip off while we both pleasure ourselves"

I was hard-up after the divorce because my husband subsidised my lifestyle, which is how I came to discover Illicit Encounters. A friend was using it to date richer, older men and she said that there were lots of men on the site who were right up my street. She wasn't wrong.



Before lockdown, I got into a routine of dating two men a month from Illicit Encounters, and seeing them twice a week each. I live in a wealthy commuter town near London, and where there are loads of bored husbands looking for some excitement.

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I'm only 31 and still excited by the thrill of the chase, that adrenalin rush you get when you sleep with a new partner for the first time. Until that leaves me - and I am sure I will grow out of it in time - I will still use the site.

"He finds it easy to contact me without his wife knowing"

I had just started a new affair with a local man in the run-up to lockdown. He is a married entrepreneur. We had sex for the first time at my flat the day before the lockdown was enforced. We knew it was coming and we were determined to have one last hurrah before the restrictions came into place. It was incredibly exciting.

He has been incredibly stressed since the lockdown came into force because he's been forced to close all his businesses, and at present he is struggling to get support from the government. I am his little stress buster.

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We FaceTime a couple of times a week and always have remote sex. I will strip off while we both pleasure ourselves. It's fun. If this lockdown goes on any longer, we are definitely going to break the rules because, though remote sex is fun, it is no substitute for the real thing. He has an office at home and finds it easy to contact me without his wife knowing. If he wants some privacy, he can go to one of his closed restaurants which have offices above them.

I have been approached by a couple of other guys on the site during lockdown. We will end up having affairs, but I don't want to cheat on the restaurant owner at present because I know he is having a hard time and needs me. I don't want to kick a man when he is down."



"I've broken lockdown to meet my lover,"

says William*, 44

"In my 20s I made the mistake of marrying my childhood sweetheart, the first girl I ever slept with. We have three teenagers now and the marriage is still strong. Five years ago, we decided to move out of London and bought a big house in the countryside. It is beautiful, but the commute to work is too much to do every day. For that reason, I started staying in London three times a week.

That's when the affairs started. I've met women at the gym, and have been introduced to other women through friends. But since I joined Illicit Encounters, I began having two affairs on the go at any one time.

"Have I broken the lockdown? Yes."

Before lockdown, I only ever saw them in London. Since, I have not been too badly affected by the government restrictions. Parts of the City are still operating relatively normally, and my work is busier than ever. I have largely maintained the same work routine as in pre-lockdown days - staying in London three nights a week with long weekends with the family in the Cotswolds.



Have I broken the lockdown? Yes. Once in the early days with a married woman who was marooned on her own in London. But I do believe that social distancing is right and I felt guilty about breaking the rules. I haven't done it since.

Milos Zivkovic / EyeEm

I have made two new contacts with women since the lockdown started and we will start affairs as soon as this is over. I have refrained from FaceTime sex with them both during lockdown because I don't want it to detract from the real thing when we are finally free.

Does my wife suspect that I am up to no good? Possibly, though if she does she keeps it to herself. She knows that I use porn and this doesn't bother her. Do I feel guilty about cheating on my wife? Yes, unquestionably. I married too young, without satisfying the sexual curiosity that lies within almost all of us. I Imagine I will grow out of this phase in time, but at present I am having too much fun to want to stop."

*Names have been changed

Paisley Gilmour Sex & Relationships Editor Paisley is sex & relationships editor at Cosmopolitan UK, and covers everything from sex toys, how to masturbate and sex positions, to all things LGBTQ. She definitely reveals too much about her personal life on the Internet.

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