One in four UK women tells her secrets to a beauty therapist, according to finding of research by Babtac. The survey of 2,611 women found that 85% said they had revealed more about their life than they intended to a stranger, and of those 26% said they had over-shared with a beauty therapist, and 11% with a massage therapist or physio.

Hairdressers were most likely to hear secrets from their clients, with 62% of the women surveyed saying they had shared a secret with their stylist.

The research then quizzed 1,366 therapists and hair stylists to find out the secrets most commonly revealed by clients. 84% of hair and beauty workers said that a client had confessed about an affair, while three quarters said it was work related gossip such as dismissals.

Babtac marketing exec Emma Roberts said, “Perhaps these findings suggest that Britons have too many secrets to keep and they are desperate to let these things slip. We think it’s great that we clearly have such positive, trusting relationships with the professionals we come into contact with. Obviously we feel like we can speak to them in confidence, which can only be a good thing.”