A woman has told of how her two affairs following a 'holiday from hell' with her husband brought a spark back into their marriage. Estate agent Bryony*, from Chippenham, Wiltshire, said she spent two borings weeks with her husband in Marbella - where they ate at restaurants in silence and had "rubbish sex".
When the couple returned home to England, the 34-year-old felt determined to bring excitement into her life and resorted to start an affair. She said: "I came home knowing that I needed to kick start things and get some excitement in my life. I wasn't ready to walk out on my marriage but I longed for the thrill you get when you sleep with someone new. I started seeing a man five years younger than me who I jokingly called my 'toy boy.'
"It was exciting to have sex with someone new and discover new ways to make love.
"The experience of cheating made my sex drive go through the roof and I was soon keen to have sex with my hubby again.
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"Sex is the glue that keeps all marriages together and we realised that what we had was worth fighting for."
Bryony's relationship problems began last summer when they spent time away in Spain.
It was their first time abroad in more than a year due to the pandemic, but it was a "disaster from day one."
She continued: "We were getting on each other’s nerves all the time and the sex was rubbish. We ended up having dinner together in silence and counting the days until we could fly home."
A friend of Bryony’s had been using IllicitEncounters.com, the UK’s leading affairs site, and so she decided to give it a try, too.
Bryony said: "I wasn’t looking for a new husband. I just wanted the excitement from a new relationship to wipe away the memories of that disastrous holiday in Marbella.
"I met a lovely IT worker five years younger than me and we quickly started an affair in the weeks after I got back from Marbella.
"He got me interested in sex again and my love life with my husband perked up, too.
"I had a second affair with a bar manager and that was great fun as well.
"I got all my confidence back and that seemed to reinvigorate my marriage.
"I realised that I still had a future with my husband and we have got things back on track.
"If it goes stale again I would not hesitate to have another affair because it certainly did the trick last time."
Bryony was speaking as a new survey of 2,000 people by IllicitEncountersc.com found that September has taken over from January as the most popular month for affairs.
The key reason behind the 22 per cent autumn rise in affairs is the strain the long summer holidays puts on long-standing relationships.
A third of women (32pc) and a similar number of men (34pc) said prolonged exposure to their partner on holiday made them think of starting afresh.
Jessica Leoni, sex and relationship expert with IllicitEncounters.com, said: "Sex-tember is almost here which means a surge in affairs.
"It will be even more pronounced this year because working from home is gradually coming to an end and we are returning to the office.
"Affairs always traditionally peaked in January but, while New Year cheating is still really high, autumn is now the peak time for adultery.
"Lots of us get sick of a partner after two weeks away in the sun and we return to work determined to have some fun with someone new.
"The pandemic has made more of us live for the moment and shake up our lives if things are not working."
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