Whoops.

Huhne announced on Friday that he was leaving his wife of 24 years for PR executive Carina Trimingham. Not only that, but he confessed that he had been having a serious affair with her for several years. Trimingham has had a string of high profile appointments in the media and PR industries, so she is no stranger to the way the press deals with politicians who stray. Nonetheless, it appears that the couple have decided to go public as quickly as possible to draw the sting, and despite everything, the government has announced that it sees “no reason” why Huhne cannot stay in his post.

Why do politicians seem particularly prone to having illicit encounters? Partly it is a result of the lifestyle. Away from home for long stretches of the year and surrounded by opportunities among their staff and the small clique of the political set it is no wonder that some of them must see temptation. And for the other parties, the mix of power and wealth that is represented by the modern politician has undoubted allure.

Will it end happily for the couple? No-one can say. It seems that, in contrast to several other well known political affairs, Huhne and Trimingham are going about this with as much dignity as it is possible to muster in these circumstances. It’s not often we can say this to people who have had an affair, but we wish them both well.

It is thought that Internet dating could be seen as a cheaper way of meeting people than going out drinking in bars and clubs. This could therefore be leading to the increase in popularity of these sites. Of course, the cost of drinking may be keeping people away from these places and so they may be looking for alternative ways to meet people.

Another possible explanation is that people are having to work longer hours in order to make ends meet and therefore have less time for socialising. Internet dating is something that you can do at any time so it can easily fit around working hours, even if they are extended.

Another possible reason for the increase in popularity of Internet dating sites is that people want to meet someone so that they can share their money problems with someone else. There is no denying that sharing a house with someone and therefore splitting the bills is cheaper than paying for it alone. It may seem to be a good solution to debts or the only way to afford a mortgage.

It has also been found that soldiers are using the Internet to find dates as they have so little opportunity elsewhere. It therefore seems that there are a number of good reasons why Internet dating could be growing in popularity these days.

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Not everyone thinks that the website is a good idea though. The pastor of Fellowship Church is obviously against people having affairs and feels that it is going against Gods wishes. With the divorce rate in Texas increasing, this could be due to affairs and although there are no statistics on this issue a Fort Worth lawyer has reported that one of the top three reasons for divorce is infidelity. He feels that the site should not have been set up in the first place.

The head of the company, Noel Biderman realises that what he is doing is controversial. However, when he found out that 30% of people online dating were already in relationships he saw a gap in the market that needed filling. Members pay $49 to set up a profile then they can start meeting like minded people without having to go out somewhere to do so. He has noticed that there seems to be more in the media lately about woman having affairs that is why he thinks his female membership is growing. His company name was designed to attract women and despite being a monogamous marriage himself he does not feel bad about what the website is doing. He feels it is providing a service for people who want to have affairs.

Miley Cyrus – daughter of one-time “Achy Breaky Heart” chart star Billy Ray Cyrus and better known to millions of fans as Hannah Montana – has announced that she is dating Justin Bieber. Bieber is an still a fairly unknown quantity here in the UK, but in North America the diminutive singer is a colossal big deal with hits like “One Time” clogging up the US charts for weeks at a time.

So far so ordinary. Just another tale of young, starstruck love between young, famous people. But Cyrus is apparently not content with dating merely Bieber. She recently blabbed that she is also seeing Aussie hunk Liam Hemsworth (although some press accounts now say that the Australian actor has since ditched her following the revelations about Bieber).

Of course, like any youngster with wayward hormones Cyrus is seeking thrills and fun rather than a lifetime commitment. By making her flirtation with infidelity so publicly known, she is, however, committing the cardinal sin for anyone looking to ‘play away from home’: indiscretion.

Keeping an affair under your hat might seem like an obvious thing, but there’s no end to the number of people who’ve blabbed – either to a friend or someone they know through the internet, only to find it rebound on them and prove to be the downfall of their relationship.

A shame that Miley doesn’t belong to one of the many online dating sites that have sprung up purely to serve the market for people looking to engage in a little light “extra curricular” sex. While sites like Ashley Madison cater primarily for married people, there’s no shortage of sites like Plenty of Fish that will happily allow people to find dates – regardless of their relationship status.

Photo by ♥Karen♥-celebfan-l z215✿’s .

‘People look better at work’ she says, as she discusses the odd relationships that often ensure after an encounter at the vending machine. ‘There is definitely an element of role-play and posturing. If you are stuck in a rigid structure, the temptation to subvert from the expected norm is overwhelming’.

Kellaway also points to advances in communication which has lead to the rise of the ‘office spouse’ – male colleagues whom women exchange flirty and suggestive texts and emails too. These relationships tend to be open and are regarded as totally innocent, although not so to the real partners of the office spouses. Surveys have also revealed that at least one in four workers have engaged in an office based fling.

Not only are staff flirting with fellow co-workers but the rise in online dating means workers can commit adultery without ever having to leave the desk. Simply log into one of the numerous marital affair dating sites such as Ashley Madison, where you will find thousands of other married men and women looking to play away from home.

Kellway, who is married with four children, believes our attitude to fidelity is mixed and confused. ‘On one hand, we have the near-religious rule of commitment through marriage, where women adopt a one strike and you’re out policy. On the other, our society is so sexualised that when a couple’s sex life dies down for whatever reason, the knee-jerk response is that the marriage must be failing’.  The end result being that they look elsewhere for excitement instead of ironing out the problems at home.

Sources have revealed to US Weekly magazine that Simpson and  Renner, who was recently nominate for Best Actor for his part in the award winning film, “The Hurt Locker” have been in a relationship ‘on the sly’ for some time..

Simpson, formerly married to 98 degrees member Nick Lachey, talked cryptically about her love life at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, revealing to the magazine that she had ‘some situations she was feeling out’. An eyewitness also spotted the couple together in Washington on the same weekend as the formal dinner, the report tells.

Whilst the paparazzi have questioned Simpson on her potential relationship with the Hurt Locker star, she has failed to confirm or deny the couple’s relations –perhaps unsurprising considering her recent bad luck following a string of failed relationships. However, a suggestive smile after being prompted again by photographers at the Operation Smile Gala suggested Renner and Simpson are more than just friends.

Alongside Jennifer Aniston as a member of Hollywood’s serial dating society, Simpson had previously been associated with Smashing Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan. After a short-lived marriage to Cincinnati born Nick Lachey, who is now with MTV presenter Vanessa Minnillo, Jessica has also enjoyed longer relationships with singer John Mayer and then football player Tony Romo.

Photo by Cliff1066.

On a general day between 2,500 and 3,000 married women join AshleyMadison.com, however last year; the site saw just over 24,000 new sign-ups the day after Mothers Day in the US.  It is expected that this figure will reach 30,000 this year.

The trend is not out of the ordinary, the ‘day after’ effect also happens on Valentine’s Day and New Year’s. So why does this happen? President and founder of AshleyMadison.com, Noel Biederman believes it’s because people have expectations that their ‘partnership will be celebrated and even romanticized – but that is often not what transpires’.

Biederman who is married and has two children thinks there are numerous reasons why women turn to his affair website, especially after Mother’s Day. Women expect to be celebrated by their partners. However, ‘Mothers Day for many, it’s just another day of neglect and disappointment’.

Mr Biederman also explains how woman have affairs for completely different reasons to men. Whereas men are ‘looking for sex and intimacy’, women are simply seeking attention that they’re getting from home – they want to feel appreciated. This lack of attention from their partner often makes them ‘feel undesirable and feeds their desire for validation by seeking out new relationships’

Just over 80 per cent of respondents from the survey put down that romance and physical closeness was in their top 10 of wants. Sex appeal on the other hand came in at 19^th and physical attractiveness bringing up the rear – ranked just 28^th in importance.

It may also come as a surprise for many to find out that it isn’t just woman who value traditional qualities – but men also! Both genders listed chemistry and friendship as their top two.

The over 50’s find attractiveness less important when it comes to finding a partner than any other age group, nor do they want physical closeness – in comparison the 35-49 age group found it twice as important.

Further results from the survey found that men are more willing to reveal all and let their skeleton out the closet so to speak, whereas women prefer to remain tight-lipped about their past history.

Dr Gian Gonzaga, eHarmony’s relationship and research expert says although it’s reassuring that Australians value friendship, there are a few import qualities being overlook.

“Sharing the same values and beliefs as your partner is a powerful predictor of happier, longer-term relationships, yet these qualities were ranked only 16th and 23rd respectively,”

“What I expect is that dating sites will become fully optimised with the iPad. The new device by Apple will allow developers to create entirely new ways to browse, discover and connect with singletons around the globe”

One firm quick to jump on the iPad bandwagon is Skout.com who will be the first online dating site to launch on the iPad platform. The free application will allow members to search by gender, age and physical preference. A HotMap which is linked with the iPad GPS will also show in real-time the location of other Skout users who fit the criteria.

Evans predicts that online dating apps will begin to display their content as a magazine, allowing users to flick through pages of profiles. He also reveals that there has been talk of adding eye-tracking functions and facial-coding that would use a webcam on the iPad to help find potential matches based on your physical response to profiles. If you were to look disappointed, the app would automatically switch to the next profile. If your pupils were to dilate or you were to smile then similar profiles would be suggested.

Perhaps in the future there could be an app that measures love at first sight!