Famous Office Flings: High-profile couples who mixed business with pleasure

In this long-hours culture, many of us see more of our colleagues than our friends and family. We sit next to men in smart suits, showing us their most competent and creative sides. They, in turn, are treated to our best selves - after all, most of us make more of an effort to look good for work than we do for our partners.

Little wonder that sex in the office is flourishing. In one survey, by Queensland's Griffith University, about 80 per cent of employees aged 18-40 reported some kind of sexual encounter at work, ranging from casual flings to extramarital affairs. It feels deliciously illicit, locking you into a private world of in-jokes and flirty emails, but often there is a cost - office affairs can be ruinous. So are they worth it?

I was his older boss Katrina*, 32, is a record company executive. She met her boyfriend, Scott, when he came to do work experience in her office. They are still together eight years later, but no longer work together.

"I was an executive in the public relations department of an indie label when I was 24, and Scott started in my office opening the post and answering the phones when he was 19. At first, all I noticed was his long blonde hair. Then I began to notice his quick wit, throaty voice and long legs - all the girls in the office were talking about him.

Soon after he joined, we had a party for one of our bands and we all laid into the drinks. When he reached into the fridge for a beer, I took the opportunity to grab his behind and soon found myself sleeping with the intern. The music industry can be very casual. People don't think anything of hooking up with subordinates, bosses, musicians - it's all cool as long as the two who get together agree on the merits of at least one band. So no one at work was bothered by our relationship and we made no effort to keep it quiet.

About three months later, I offered Scott a job. As we both climbed the ladder, our mixing of work and sex was never a problem for our colleagues . But it wasn't always so easy for me and Scott. And when he moved in with me, it felt relentless - we were now working, commuting, eating and sleeping together. And if he didn't like the way I was doing things or vice versa, it was difficult, really difficult.

Once, when our office was being renovated, we had to share an office and a phone. Not a happy few weeks. But other times it was great - we played off each other's strengths and challenged each other to work harder. It was enough to keep us at it for three years - the job, that is.

He eventually went off to work for a rival record company. The relationship is still going strong; we've been together eight years and have a three-year-old daughter. I haven't regretted for a minute that I violated all sorts of professional codes when I grabbed hold of him that night."

To hear more tales of the highs and lows of office romance, read this month's marie claire.