Most couples are aware of the dreaded “seven-year itch”, when the honeymoon period wears off and real life starts to bite.
asserted
life → wear → itch
Now official data has shown that couples in England and Wales are more likely to split after 20 years.
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couples → show → years
According to Office for National Statistics figures, more than a quarter of all divorces between opposite-sex couples happened after 20 years or longer of marriage.
uncertain
quarter → accord → marriage
Some celebrities have recently displayed the “20-year itch”, with the former Strictly presenter Tess Daly separating from her husband, Vernon Kay, after 22 years of marriage.
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presenter → display → marriage
The Downton Abbey actor Hugh Bonneville split from his wife, Lulu Williams, in 2023 after 25 years, and in 2019, Colin Firth announced his separation from wife, Livia Giuggioli, after 22.
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Firth → split → 22
Last year, the Hollywood star Nicole Kidman and and singer Keith Urban separated after almost 20 years of marriage.
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star → separate → marriage
Divorce lawyers have previously said some couples are putting off splitting up because of the cost of living crisis.
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couples → say → splitting
Recent figures have shown the average length of a marriage ending in divorce in England and Wales reached a record high last year.
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length → show → high
ONS figures have long shown that the seven-year itch appears to exist; since records began in 1963, the largest proportion of divorces each year has almost always been among those who have spent between five to nine years as a couple.
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who → show → couple
Just over a quarter (26%) of the 102,879 divorces involving opposite-sex couples in England and Wales last year had been married for 20 years or more, while 23% were between five and nine years.
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% → involve → years
This is the second time the five- to nine-year category has been pushed to second place.
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category → push → place
In the mid-1980s it happened when a new law cut the minimum term of a marriage from three years to one.
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law → happen → one
Divorce lawyers think the rise of the divorce after 20 years is due to couples staying together for the sake of the children.
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couples → think → children
Lisa Pepper, a divorce lawyer at Osbornes Law, told the Sunday Times: “The largest percentage of cases I see are after a long marriage.
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I → tell → marriage
Staying together for the sake of the children is true.”
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Staying → stay → children
The trend is also happening in the US: a Pew research group study found the incidents of those divorcing after 20 years had doubled since the 1990s.
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incidents → happen → 1990s
Researchers cautioned: “Divorce at this stage of life can also have some downsides.
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Divorce → caution → downsides
Grey divorcees tend to be less financially secure than married and widowed adults, particularly among women.
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divorcees → tend → women
And living alone at older ages can be detrimental to one’s financial comfort and, for men, their satisfaction with their social lives.”
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living → live → lives
Analysis from the US law firm Weinberger found: “Marrying for life is no longer seen as the pinnacle of successful adulthood – especially in more progressive areas of the country.
asserted
Marrying → find → country
Those who have adequate financial resources to flourish solo may feel more freedom to uncouple.
uncertain
who → have → freedom
“With less societal pressure to stay together no matter what, ‘grey divorcees’ have more ‘permission’ to unshackle themselves from unhappy marriages and make the best of their golden years.”
asserted
divorcees → stay → years
Earlier ONS figures for England and Wales found the average marriage ending in divorce in 2025 lasted for 13 years.
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marriage → find → years
This is the longest since records began in 1963 and up from a record low of 8.9 years in 1985.
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records → begin → 1985
Rebecca Aston‑Jones, a senior associate at Clarke Willmott, a law firm that specialises in divorce, said the rising cost of living was keeping unhappy couples together.
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cost → specialise → couples
“One of the main factors discouraging people from pursuing a divorce is the significant financial pressure that comes with establishing and maintaining two separate households,” she said.
asserted
she → discourage → households
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