I got my Christmas wish, A DIVORCE!

The first working week in January sees a surge in couples seeking a divorce, according to lawyers, especially among the over-50s

- LISA KNIGHTON

For better or for worse. For richer or poorer. It’s fair to say that nobody gets married with the intention of it not lasting forever. But for many couples, ‘happily ever after’ is far from reality. Divorce enquiries to legal firms surged by 95% in the wake of the pandemic, with women making up the majority of queries**. And the over-50s are seeking divorces more than any other age group. We’ve all heard of the seven-year itch, but it’s the 20-year itch that’s seeing more couples than ever break up after two decades. This week marks the busiest year for divorce lawyers, with the first working Monday in January dubbed ‘Divorce Day’.

We speak to a woman who believes a later-in-life-divorce was the making of her.

‘LIFE HAD BECOME A REPETITIVE DRUDGE’

Lisa Knighton, 51, saught a divorce after 20 years of marriage. A nice house, three wonderful children and a loyal man who had devoted 20 years of his life to me. What more could a woman possibly want? Fun, freedom and the power to do what I want, whenever I want – that’s what. And it is exactly what drove me to throw in the matrimonial towel after two decades.

Forget the seven-year itch, it’s the one that happens at 20 years you need to watch out for. Once I had made the decision to bail out of my marriage, then came the dilemma. How do you tell your husband you want out? No matter when you say it or how you say it, you know it’s going to hurt. Like ripping off a plaster, I wanted the split to be quick and as painless as possible, but in the end I did it completely the wrong way.