London - At this most depressing time of year, it looks like many will seek new thrills – as this is the busiest week of the year for cheating.
Around 50 000 partners will start an affair this week, coinciding with the first full week back at work, a study reveals.
Double the number of people – 120 000 – start extra-marital affairs in January compared with the quietest month of August.
And, to mark another far from heartwarming date in the calendar, Monday is also "divorce day" – when more partners will decide to split than any other day of the year.
There is a 24 percent rise in divorce petitions in the UK in January after the stress of Christmas and New Year celebrations finally blow rocky relationships apart.
The figures were compiled partly by looking at new registrations on extra-marital dating sites. IllicitEncounters.com saw a 37 percent rise in the number of new registrations in January and a 22 percent increase in February, the second most popular month for cheating with 110 000 new affairs.
December is the third most popular month for cheating with 102 000 people starting affairs – apparently because of the Christmas parties.
There are just 60 000 new affairs in August and 65 000 in July.
Jessica Leoni, of IllicitEncounters.com, said: "Couples increasingly view January as the time to start afresh and begin a new affair, even more so at the start of a new decade when there is even more pressure re-charge your batteries.
"At IllicitEncounters we are finding increasing numbers of people are staying in unhappy relationships, often due to financial pressures, and seeking excitement elsewhere by having an affair."