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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Amelia Hill

‘I turbocharged my career then pressed eject’: why couples are getting divorced later

A wedding cake.
The median length of a marriage before it ends in divorce reached 13 years in England and Wales in 2025. Illustration: Guardian Design / Anaïs Mims/Getty Images

“We don’t know anyone whose marriage hit the skids after just a few years,” Celia said, reflecting on her divorce. “Everyone seemed to cling on to their relationships for as long as they possibly could.”

It took Celia two years to initiate divorce after realising her 12-year marriage wasn’t going anywhere – and the latest figures show this experience is increasingly common, with marriages that end in divorce now lasting longer than at any point since records began.

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