Bankers and brokers are the most likely to stray and cheat on their partners, an eye-opening survey has revealed. Those in the financial sector are most prone to betraying their loved one, followed closely by pilots and doctors and nurses.

Research also showed that two out of three adulterous women (65 per cent) say they strike up affairs with people from the office - as they suggest it makes work more exciting and fun.

Two-timers admitted that the workplace was the easiest place to forge an attraction and a bond to someone else.

They added that it was a convenient place to hide their affair as they wouldn't need to go anywhere else.

However 85 per cent said they wouldn't suggest sleeping with a colleague to others.

And a majority of the women who strayed at work confessed that the worst part of a daring covert affair was having to still work with that person if things ended messily.

More than one in five (21 per cent) talked about the dangers of the dreaded rumour mill in the office, saying that other people's gossip made it more likely that their partner would find out.

Despite the risks, only 10 per cent of people worried that having an illicit affair might hinder their career progression.

The survey was taken of 5,658 cheating women, and conducted by Victoria Milan, a website for married and attached people looking to have affairs.

Sigurd Vedal, founder and chief executive of Victoria Milan, said the survey showed that people are more into having a great time and enjoying life than advancing their careers.

He told The Mirror: 'The survey clearly shows that even though there's a risk to your career, having an affair at work makes life a lot more pleasant.

'At the same time, the majority of cheaters would steer clear of mixing work with pleasure - not because it damages their career, but because they are at risk of being found out, or will feel uncomfortable.'

Meanwhile, people who are 29, 39, 49 or 59 are more likely to cheat and make life-changing decisions as they approach a milestone birthday, a study published in November revealed.

Researchers analysed the responses of 42,000 adults from more than 100 countries who completed a survey about their values between 2010 and 2014.

They found that people with an age ending in nine were more likely to make changes ‘that suggest a search for meaning’ such as taking up marathon running or joining an extramarital dating site.

Lead author Adam Alter, from New York University, said: ‘People audit the meaningfulness of their lives as they approach a new decade.

'People tend to either conclude happily that their lives are meaningful or they decide their lives lack meaning.

'Some people might struggle to come to terms with the conclusion that their lives lack meaning. They might seek a socially damaging extramarital affair.'

The researchers obtained data from an online dating site that targets people who are already in a relationship and found that there were far more 9-ender men - 18 per cent more - than would be expected by chance.