A beautician who cheated on her partner on a girls' trip to Barcelona now says she can't stop - and has had three more affairs since returning home.
Nicole, 34, from Basildon in Essex, bedded a hunky waiter while she was away with her girlfriends.
But although it was just a one-night stand, Nicole says it made her realise she was bored of sex with her partner and wanted to explore other options when she flew home.
She said: "I got drunk in Barcelona and had a wonderful night of sex with the waiter who was serving us in the bar and flirting with me all night.
“When we went back to our hotel after the bar closed I invited him along and we ended up having sex four times and going at it till dawn.
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“I knew when I got home that I needed to make a change because life is too short not to have great sex.”
After a friend told her about illicitencounters.com, a dating site specifically for people who want to have affairs, she decided to join and find a lover for herself.
She said: “The first affair was with a guy who works in the City and lives near me in Essex.
“He has young kids and his wife has gone off sex. We had a lot of fun after meeting in a bar and I still see him around once a month for sex.
“My next affair was with a bar owner who has an open relationship with his wife. He took me for expensive meals and then we would go to luxury hotels for sex. He liked to film the action on his phone and we would watch it together afterwards.
“I have just started my third affair with a local builder who loves sex as much as me and joined IllicitEncounters so he could cheat without getting caught.”
Despite her extracurricular activities, Nicole doesn't feel guilty about cheating on her long-term partner, who works as a mechanic.
She said the pair have "mismatched libidos" and accused him of falling asleep watching West Ham rather than keeping her satisfied in the bedroom.
A new survey from the cheating website revealed the 10 most common reasons women and men cheat.
For women, the top reason was that they're unsatisfied with sex at home - whereas alcohol is the main driving factor for men.
According to the website, there has been a 27% rise in activity this year since covid restrictions have eased.
Jessica Leoni, sex and relationship expert at IllicitEncounters.com, said: “Cheating is booming in Britain as we finally return to normal after two years of hell.
“For the first time in two years, affairs activity is exceeding pre-Covid levels as cheaters make up for lost time by seeing someone new."
Do you have a story to sell? Email jessica.taylor@reachplc.com.
Top 10 reasons why women cheat
1. Sex is bad at home
2. I was drunk
3. I went looking for excitement online
4. I fancied a change
5. Met someone at work
6. Mismatched libido with partner
7. Stranger came on to me
8. Revenge for my partner cheating
9. Monogamy is unnatural
10. New Year, new me!
Top 10 reasons why men cheat
1. I was drunk and a chance came up
2. I want sex more than my partner
3. I get bored with sex with the same person
4. New Year, new me!
5. Met someone I liked at work
6. My friends were cheating, too, and I decided to give it a try
7. Revenge cheating
8. I went online looking for fun
9. Life’s too short to stick with one partner
10. I like adding to my total of partners and keep a tally
