Did lockdown SAVE YOUR MARRIAGE?

The infamous annual Divorce Day looms, but 2021 could see far fewer couples calling their lawyers

- FRANCES LEATE

The first working Monday in January is officially the most depressing day of the year. Blue Monday, or Divorce Day, as it’s variously known, is when we apparently feel the most glum. The return to work, dark nights, miserable weather and post-Christmas debt stress lead to a spike in divorce applications.

This year, it falls on 4 January, and family lawyers usually expect their phones to ring off the hook. And, when lockdown first hit in March 2020 and couples were forced together 24/7, experts predicted the strain would cause a surge in marriage splits.

Yet the horror of 2020 seems to have had one silver lining. A recent study found 20% of marriages had actually got stronger during the COVID-19 crisis, with couples able to invest extra time and TLC on each other.*

With redundancies, long-term furloughing and pandemic anxiety, this hasn’t been the case for everyone. Figures show 0.7% of married fathers and 2.2% of mothers are still considering divorce – but this is a fall of two-thirds compared to pre-COVID-19 times.

So, with a vaccine on the horizon, and all of us glad to see the back of 2020, could Divorce Day 2021 leave those lawyers twiddling their thumbs?

Woman investigates.

‘2020 SHOWED ME WHAT WAS IMPORTANT’

Samantha Brick, 49, is from Birmingham and is married to Pascal, 59.

I’ve been married for 12 years and, while we are happy, we do have a sparky relationship.

My husband is half Spanish, and with that comes the Latino fiery temperament. It makes for a passionate relationship, but means we aren’t immune to a good old shouty row. It’s usually over domestic related incidents, from who left the garden lights on all night to moaning about me leaving the loo door open.