To avoid having sex, woman locks self in chastity belt, misplaces key

It was no laughing matter. The woman had to call the fire brigade to regain freedom.

The fire crew initially thought she had lost the keys to her house. But her embarrassing predicament became obvious after she pulled up her jumper to reveal the belt.

“I have lost the keys and can no longer open it,” she’s reported to have said.

Answering questions from the fire crew, the middle-aged woman from Padua, Italy said she simply wore the belt to stop herself from getting into a sexual relationship.

According to Dailymail, chastity belts were popular during the Renaissance and historically used to stop the wearer from having sex or to protect them from rape. It is believed they were first used during the Crusades when knights leaving for the Holy Lands asked their wives to wear them to stop them straying..