LIFE live it well

With divorce rates on the up among the over 50s, relationship expert and star of Married At First Sight, Paul C Brunson, reveals how you can find lasting love – whatever your age

According to the Office for National Statistics, 41% of married couples have divorced before they reach their 25th wedding anniversary.

It seems that finding The One is harder than ever nowadays. And this is especially true for the over-50s.

Indeed, while the number of divorces each year is gradually decreasing in general, this demographic is seeing a spike, coining the terms “silver splitters” and “grey divorcees”.

Paul C Brunson, author and relationship coach on TV shows Married At First Sight and Celebs Go Dating, offers an explanation. “The reasons why someone got married 30 years ago were different to why people marry today,” he says.

“Back then, people had bigger ‘villages’ around them to fulfil all their needs: friends, parents, grandparents. Nowadays we’re looking for complete fulfilment from one partner.

“We’ve also become more aware now about what being in a healthy relationship actually is, and we can identify when we’re not in one.”

However, in order to find that healthy lifelong relationship, you first need to navigate the world of dating – which can be daunting, whether you’ve been single for ages or find yourself on the dating scene for the first time in years.

Here Paul shares his advice for finding real love that lasts.

MEETING PEOPLE Before you begin…

The number-one factor in ensuring you’ll have a high satisfaction relationship is both parties having high levels of personal wellbeing. Determine your wellbeing by asking yourself the following… do you have strong relationships? Do you feel in control of your time? Is self-acceptance there? If you don’t have a good sense of wellbeing you’ll look for someone to fill a void, and you’ll be more susceptible to toxic relationships.

Don’t dismiss

dating apps

Matchmaking apps and websites aren’t just for young people. Online dating is still the numberone way to meet people, and stats show that outside of Gen Z, the second most active demographic on dating apps is the 50-plus group. This is because at this age you see a lot of separ empty mayb widow

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