Is it OK to have an affair?

Once upon a time, golf was quite simply a finesse sport, favoured predominantly by an older generation and deemed dull to some. Rarely in the headlines for anything outside of the game itself, it frowned upon the philandering and filth of footballers. That was until the biggest player and brand of them all was outed as a serial adulterer...

And as the press continue to dig up the dirt on Tiger Woods, the American dream dad buries his head in the sand, with only the following statement to admit his actions:

“I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behaviour my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behaviour and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone.”

The public gasped, the sponsors backed away and, according to today’s news, Elin Nordegren- the shamed wife- continues to stand by her man. Relationships are never plain sailing, but according to researchers affairs are typically the ultimate sign that the wandering spouse is dissatisfied in the marriage or relationship. Nevertheless, this doesn’t make them any easier to accept and particularly in Tiger Woods’ situation, it’s his humiliated partner who most will feel sympathetic toward. But if there’s one person on Tiger’s side, it’s Sex guru Wolfgang Weinberger.

The star of West End show 'A Guide To Sexual Misery', has voiced his support for spouses conducting extra-marital affairs insisting that affairs are only a bad thing "if they are found out."

Weinberger spoke to Illicit Encounters- a dating website which organises extra-marital affairs. Illicit Encounters believes there are situations where an extra-marital relationship can prove beneficial to a person’s work and home life and it’s to that end that they provide a service to help people start extra-marital relationships. They target people who don’t want to end unhappy marriages but instead, explore a friendship, start a relationship or become lovers with someone in a similar situation with no ‘hidden agenda’.

Weinberger said: "There have always been affairs and there will always be affairs. Men and women are by nature rather monogamous but they are also programmed to have them. Affairs are not a crime. Sometimes, they can have invigorating effects on a relationship gone stale."

However, another sex expert, Dr. Belisa Vranich begs to differ when it comes to the debate on human nature and affairs, telling Fox news this week that: “Being monogamous is an intellectual decision – men are wired to have lots of sex – whether they decide to have it with one woman or several women depends on their definitions of what’s acceptable.”

A survey of Brits earlier this year revealed that four out of 10 people believe couples only cheat on their partners if there is already something fundamentally wrong with the relationship. 26 per cent said anyone who cheats can't have any respect for their current partner, one in 10 people blamed the need for more than one partner on having a high sex drive and 12 per cent said often people cheat because they can't say no on an evening out with mates or work colleagues.

Ironically Weinberger did also point out that he has always been faithful to his partner, but with an excess of 390,000 members at Illicit Encounters, it appears that more people than expected share Weinberger’s positive views on affairs. But do you? Vote on the Manchester Confidential homepage.