Meet Chloe, 40-something, from England. I stumbled upon Chloe’s story in the Mirror. A middle-aged woman in a sexless, loveless marriage, she could so very easily be a Bored Wife herself.
While I’m never one to take solace out of other people’s misery, it’s heartening to know that you’re not alone.
And then, in the same article, there was Jenny, followed swiftly by Claire.
They elucidate on their sexless marriages and their conquest to find a man outside of their marriage. Whether it’s arthritis, menopause, depression or something totally different altogether, what stood out is the alarming amount of men who seemingly want to make love to their wives, yet can’t.
Whether that’s a willing refusal from the women in question, or their hand is forced, we’re losing our libido.
Underwear. The latest fragrances. A fitness watch. Maybe even a new phone. To the naked eye, it’s an innocent list of Christmas gifts. According to our friends over at IllicitEncounters.com, it could be a telltale sign that your partner is an adulterer.
Why? Well, isn’t in obvious? A sharp new suit, a brand new smell, a new phone (for who, exactly?), the sudden desire to get fit… he’s after someone else, or maybe he’s already found her.
Meet Gweneth Lee, 45. She’s a mistress, but one who claims that she saves people’s marriages. Yeah, I’m not sure how I feel about this one either.
Her reasoning? She says, and I quote, “If her husband had not been allowed to cheat he would have left her and that would have caused huge upheaval to a family with children.”
“He stayed in the family home and would sleep with me with his wife’s full knowledge. We would be very discreet. I was a simple outlet for him to have his fun.”
Ms. Lee says that she “doesn’t feel morally compromised at all in what we have done. Everyone benefited from the arrangement – even the wife who had a much happier husband because of me.”
What do we think? Does she make a salient point, or is it a completely unjustifiable act?
The on-screen romance between Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson was pretty terrible. Their relationship off-screen however quickly made them one of the most popular and adored couples in Hollywood. That is until Stewart had an affair with director Rupert Sanders. Unsurprisingly, Pattinson killed the relationship, with fans and press alike struck down with frustration and fury.
9. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mildred Baena
‘I think it was the stupidest thing I’ve done in the whole relationship. It was terrible. I inflicted tremendous pain on Maria and unbelievable pain on the kids.’ That apology couldn’t save big Arnold, who cheated on wife Maria Shriver with maid, Mildred Baena. I say cheated, he slept with her and raised a child. Talk about rubbing salt in the wounds.
8. Hugh Grant and Divine Brown
In a regretful spur of the moment, lovable British actor Hugh Grant made himself a little less popular. Caught in the act, in public no less, Grant walked away humiliated. But, arguably the biggest surprise was that his then partner Elizabeth Hurley supported and forgave him (their relationship ended five years later). Props for trying, Liz.
7. Jude Law and Sienna Miller and everyone else
I’m not really sure who’s at fault here, and neither is anyone else. Law seemingly started it off by having an affair with the nanny of his kids. But, and there’s a but, Miller was simultaneously having an affair with Daniel Craig. The pair apologised, split, and then rekindled their relationship just a few years later…only to then split up again. Let it go, guys. Let it go.
6. Ronnie Wood and Ekaterina Ivanova
Is the fact that Ronnie Wood had an affair the most shocking thing in the world? Probably not, no. But who he had it with? That’s a different story. The then 61 year old was in a marriage that was 23 years strong. With his youth behind him, you’d imagine that a lot of his, shall we say, sexual encounters, disappeared along with it. Apparently not, as Mr. Wood eloped with 18 year-old cocktail waitress Ekaterina Ivanova. His wife, Jo, subsequently ended the marriage. Good on you, Jo.
5. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Pitt has always vehemently denied that he cheated on ex-wife Jennifer Aniston, but it took him just two months after announcing his separation from the Friends star to appear in public with Angelina Jolie. It didn’t help matters when both he and Angelina admitted that they fell in love while filming Mr. and Mrs. Smith. As for Jennifer Aniston, she took a few swipes at her former partner, stating that he lacked a ‘sensitivity meter’.
4. Ashley Cole and…everyone?
Cheryl Cole – sorry, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini – ended her marriage with the former Chelsea player after “several” women opened up to the Girls Aloud star about having an affair with him. Given their high-profile status, rumours had been doing the rounds for a little while. Was Cheryl racist? Was Ashley gay? Was their whole marriage a cover up? Who knows, but their breakup only cemented their place in the headlines for several months more.
3. Tiger Woods and Jaimee Grubbs
A lion wouldn’t cheat on his wife, but a Tiger Wood. Thank you, thank you. After years of hiding a tumultuous affair, Tiger Woods was caught, and what a scene it was too. A leaked email? An unsolicited text? Woods doesn’t bother with such low-key events. A car crash, a heated argument, and an assault on his car from his wife. It didn’t take long before Woods’ story made headlines, prompting him to apologise for his infidelity, and take an indefinite hiatus from the sport.
chip.’
2. Charles and Camilla
Prince Charles is, or maybe was, pretty enviable. Wealth, status, royalty and Princess Diana – one of the nations, if not the world’s, most treasured human beings – by his side. He wouldn’t screw it up, right? Right?!
*sigh* Oh Charles.
Ryan Giggs and Imogen Thomas (and Natasha Giggs)
Another footballer. Only this time, it’s much, much worse. He cheated on his wife with glamour model Imogen Thomas – that’s already pretty bad – but to go on and cheat with his brother’s wife was, and still is, the mother of all affairs. For shame, Ryan. For shame.
Is that skirt too high? That top too low cut? Fellas, a word of warning, keep an eye on your girlfriend this Halloween night. Our friends at IllicitEncounters claim that 70% of their female members sneak out on Halloween to cheat on their partners.
Well, looks like it happens to the best of us. Beyonce and Jay-Z hit an, ahem, “complication” in their relationship back in 2005. The complication? It comes in the form of pop sensation Rihanna.
We’re interested to see if this one rears its ugly head anytime soon…
According to a study by CyberPsychology, 28 million couples split up every year because they’ve been busted by Social Media. A study by IllicitEncounters.com has listed the top ten apps that resulted in break ups by surveying 100 women.
Illicit Encounters spokeswoman Claire Page said: “What I find most interesting about this list is how obvious some men are. I wouldn’t encourage anyone to be friends with their mistress or histress on Facebook – it’s just asking for trouble.”
New research released today by Illicit Encounters, the UK’s top married dating site, shows that British women would sleep with Mike Tindall over any other English rugby player. The Yorkshire native scooped 23% of the votes from 1,000 surveyed women, beating Jonny Wilkinson (21%), Owen Farrell (16%), Danny Care (15%) and Danny Cipriani (13%). The least shag-able player was Tom Youngs with 0.6% (6) of the votes.
“Some people may find it surprising that Mike Tindall tops the list of English rugby players women want to sleep with,” Claire Page, spokesperson for Illicit Encounters said, “He looks a bit like a warped shoe but he’s also very funny and intelligent, as we’ve seen on his ITV interviews. I think the fact that he’s married to Zara Phillips is a huge attraction – a lot of women are very attracted to men who are with high profile or very good-looking women, even if he himself isn’t handsome. They sub-consciously think ‘If he’s got her, he must have a great personality or be great in bed!’ Putting that with his great physique, (I mean, he’s tall, broad and his upper body strength is so impressive, he’s able to bench press over 140 kg) it’s not hard to see why women across England find him so attractive!”
“Studies have shown generally women prefer dominant men,” psychologist Lucy Redford said, “and there is certainly something to be said about extremely muscular physiques triggering primal emotions of submissiveness in women. However, oftentimes there is actually a threshold of muscularity that can result in negative stereotyping once passed. Lack of depth, lack of intelligence, simple mindedness, aggressiveness, insecurity, and narcissism are all perceived traits that people prejudge in bodybuilders. However, Mike Tindall has proven on numerous interviews he is much more than this – he’s calm under pressure, skilled, passionate on the field and has a great sense of humour. Being witty goes a long way, with both sexes!”
Married dating site Illicit Encounters has seen a record high of new female members this January, with over 3,500 new sign ups. This peak in members is the highest new sign ups Illicit Encounters has had in it’s 11 years of business.
Spokesperson for Illicit Encounters Claire Page said, “There has been a clear change in attitudes toward adultery in the last few years, but 2015 indicates something much bigger.
“Women are coming to us with more awareness about their needs than ever before. From their profiles, you can see that our new ladies are looking for something more than just a quick fumble – they are looking for fulfillment, they expect something life-altering.”
Tiffany, 39, from West London, has been a member of the site for just over a week, “My decision to join was made out of frustration. Over Christmas, I spent over 3 weeks confined with my husband, who, after 12 years of marriage, only pays attention to me if I block his view of the television. I want to feel young and sexy again, I want to feel like a better woman. As my partner has made it clear he is incapable of helping me out, I have employed a more drastic measure.”
What do you think ladies? Is having an affair on your New Years Resolutions this January?
Here are 7 tell-tale signs that your man may have taken a lover.
He is always picking a fight.
Attack is the best form of defense. He may be starting arguments simply to reflect his own guilt.
He’s being overly nice
Other times he may be trying really hard to please you. This could be because he is trying to throw you off track or because he is trying to make up for the guilt he is feeling. If your partner isn’t usually that attentive, then this kind of behaviour is unusual.
He’s started to follow latest trends and fashions
Does he look better? Is he keeping his beard trim and his suit in check? When you first start seeing someone new you try and make a good impression- could he be trying to impress another woman?
He completely guards his phone.
He’s got a password on it and panics when he can’t find it. He will also get extremely angry when you touch his phone. This could be a sign he is hiding something.
Body language
Recently we wrote a post on interpreting body language. If he is more closed off from you and won’t look you in the eyes he may be up to something.
Distance
If you are clearly spending less time together and you haven’t a clue why, you may want to consider where your partner actually is.
Sex
Or rather lack thereof; you’re simply not doing it anymore. Going off sex is one of the first signs that a relationship is in a crisis.