The 10 most common icks that lead to relationship breakups

Laura Hampson
Young heterosexual couple are quarreling while sitting on couch at home. icks
Brits have revealed their biggest icks or turn offs. (Getty Images) (urbazon via Getty Images)

Icks, or turn offs, are a silent killer of any relationship – they can occur suddenly or build up slowly over time. Whatever it is, once you notice it in a partner or potential love interest, it’s hard to ignore it.

Now, a new survey of 1,500 Brits has revealed the biggest ‘icks’ someone can get that can ultimately lead them to call it quits on their relationship.

Data from We Buy Any Home found that three in four (77%) of Brits would dump their partner if they had poor personal hygiene.

Over half (54%), said the biggest ick in a partner is if they are rude to others, while one in four (25%) list having a messy home, or bad table manners such as eating with their mouth open (19%), as their top turn offs.

  1. Poor personal hygiene (77%)

  2. Being rude to others (54%)

  3. Having a messy house or living space (25%)

  4. No sense of humour (25%)

  5. Bad table manners (19%)

  6. Interrupting people (12%)

  7. Talking too loudly (11%)

  8. Referring to themselves in the third person (11%)

  9. Living with parents (8%)

  10. Pretending to be knowledgeable about something (6%)

The data also revealed which cities are the most likely to break up with someone over an ick, with Glasgow taking the top spot with 96% of respondents saying a turn off would lead to ending a relationship.

messy home
Messy homes are one of the biggest icks listed by Brits. (Getty Images) (Justin Lambert via Getty Images)

This was followed by Norwich at 96%, Cardiff and Liverpool (both 95%), and Edinburgh and Sheffield with 94%.

Poor personal hygiene is a common ick for Brits, as a separate survey found that it topped the list of the 90 biggest icks.

One other survey found that women (54%) are more likely to get the ick from a romantic partner than men (49%), and that 13% have unmatched from someone on a dating app due to an ick.

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