Top 10 Infidelity News Stories of 2004

“Infidelity is a hot topic that’s always in the news,” says author and infidelity expert Ruth Houston. “Especially when a celebrity or prominent person is involved. It’s also a recurring theme for movies and top-rated TV shows. As a frequently-quoted infidelity expert, I make it a point to monitor all news stories about infidelity or extramarital affairs.“

Here are Ruth Houston’s picks for the top 10 infidelity news stories of 2004.

Newsweek’s Expose on Cheating Wives

Newsweek’s cover story on “The New Infidelity” turned the spotlight on the increase in female infidelity, revealing that the rate of female infidelity is fast approaching that of men.  With more women working outside the home, workplace infidelity poses the biggest threat.

Genes and Female Infidelity

A United Kingdom study headed by Professor Tim Spector, director of the Twin Research Unit at St Thomas' Hospital in London suggests that genetic factors may influence female infidelity and the number of sex partners women have.

The Scott Peterson Trial

Sentenced to death by lethal injection for the murder of his pregnant wife, Laci, and Connor, their unborn child, Peterson was carrying on an affair with a massage therapist  at the time his wife turned up missing.  This case graced more People magazine covers than any murder investigation in the publication's history.

Kobe Bryant Rape Case Dismissed

Basketball star Kobe Bryant’s high profile rape case was dismissed by the judge after his accuser decided not to testify. Bryant, denied the rape charges all along, maintaining that the “only” thing he was guilty of was adultery.  Only three stories in the history of the Lycos 50 have triggered more Internet searches than the Kobe Bryant indictment.

Governor McGreevey’s Gay Infidelity

New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey announced his resignation, admitting that he was gay and that he’d had an extramarital affair with a male employee who at the time was reportedly threatening to sue the governor for sexual harassment.

Desperate Housewives

ABC's hot new prime time soap quickly became the second most popular show on TV, averaging 22.8 million viewers a week.  Even men are watching it.  Hollywood is convinced that infidelity is the reason for the show's success.  (A key plotline is the extramarital affair between one wife and her young landscaper.)  Similar shows are expected to follow.

Bill Clinton – “Because I could”

In an exclusive interview with Dan Rather of 60 Minutes about his newly published, memoir, "My Life," former President Bill Clinton told America why he had the affair with Monica Lewinsky – his reply: “Just because I could.”

Bernard Kerik’s Simultaneous Extramarital Affairs

Nominated by President Bush for the position of Secretary of Homeland Security, the former NYC Police Commissioner abruptly withdrew his name amid a rash of scandals – one of which included allegations that he conducted simultaneous extramarital affairs with publisher of his memoir and a city corrections officer.

Clara Harris and “Suburban Madness”

This CBS made-for-TV movie depicted the true story of Clara Harris, the Texas dentist convicted of murdering her cheating husband by running over him three times. The executive producer called it “a real comment on American society, American marriage and morality.”

Infidelity at the Movies

The year 2004 closed with two blockbuster movies which underscore the popularity of infidelity as a form of entertainment: “Closer” – a tangled web of infidelity where a wife betrays a husband by having an affair with a man who is simultaneously cheating on his longtime girlfriend, and “Kinsey”, the biography of  the famous sex researcher who had a homosexual affair with a male member of his research team.

--Compiled by Ruth Houston, infidelity expert and author of Is He Cheating on You – 829 Telltale Signs.