The reality has hit you - your partner has been sending illicit texts to someone else. Finding out that your other half has been sexting when you thought your relationship was going well is a horrible situation to be in. The feelings of shock and betrayal are likely to leave you asking yourself and your partner a lot of questions. But is sexting actually betrayal?

In an age of expressive sexual freedom, who can really be sure what counts as cheating, and whether it's the same for every couple. A recent survey commissioned by law firm Slater and Gordon found that 35 percent of the 2, participants believed sending explicit or flirty messages didn't mean you were unfaithful, while only 62 percent of people said they would feel guilty about sending explicit photos to someone other than their partner. Unsurprisingly, there was a bit of a gender divide here: 49 percent of women consider sexting to be cheating, as opposed to 34 percent of men.

While definitions vary couple-to-couple, there are some common underlying factors, such as secrecy, deception and emotional volatility. However, according to experts speaking to Women's Health , there are five definitive types of cheating and surprisingly, two of them may not even involve your partner. However obvious it may seem, even physical infidelity is not necessarily immune from ambivalence.