Conscious uncoupling could be the way to go

Lawyers, nasty spats, money rows… No thanks!

Have you been watching The Split on BBC1? Everyone I know has. It’s about high-end divorce lawyers going to war faster than Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump, with less likelihood of peace talks.

The twist is that the lawyers’ personal lives are even more of a mess than those of their warring clients. Which is about right.

No-one benefits from raging divorce battles except moneygrabbing lawyers, and even they haven’t got their heads on straight.

Davina Mccall is taking a different approach. She is reported to be considering giving her estranged husband, Matthew Robertson, £2.5 million to race through the legal proceedings.

Actor and comedian Rowan Atkinson has reportedly given up the £10 million home he shared with his wife of 24 years for the same reason. We all laughed at Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay singer Chris Martin’s nausea-inducing ‘conscious uncoupling’ split announcement. But just maybe they were on to something. Gwynnie, rumour has it, just remarried, yet remains good friends with the father of her two kids. Compare that with Heather Mills and Paul Mccartney’s drama or the spiteful Brangelina break-up. Of course, the rest of us have to fight for cash without expensive lawyers. But taking a breath, compromising and prioritising what’s important seem to be the secrets of a ‘good’ divorce. Davina said, after announcing her marriage break-up, ‘I’m in a good place. I’ve realised I don’t need much. When I was in my 30s, I was like, “I want the house, I want the dog, I want the car.” But I don’t need it. I don’t really want it.’ Just maybe, for the rich anyway, the secret of having it all is giving it all away.