Forty-two per cent of married couples in the UK are expected to divorce, according to latest statistics. Yet the cultural narrative persists that marriage is a happy ending. For those who have been married multiple times, the reality is more complex.
Anita, who has been married six times, first walked down the aisle at 18 out of fear of being seen as undesirable. She kept remarrying because being a divorced woman in her European hometown made her a social outcast. For many women, marriage is viewed as a crowning achievement, despite data suggesting single women are often happier and healthier.
Carys, a 73-year-old American divorce attorney on her eighth marriage, sees marriage partly as a financial proposition. 'If you're a divorce lawyer you're not really so into the 'until death do us part' bit,' she said. She has filed six of her own divorces and kept the paperwork ready as a 'security blanket'.
Serial spouses exhibit a strange mix of romanticism and practicality. They believe the right marriage might save them, yet know deep down it won't. Their stories reveal the seductive power of an institution with a 58% success rate, incentivised by tax breaks and legal benefits.
