Researchers from the Co-op Legal Services have found that as many as 25% of all divorcees have considered reconciling with their ex-spouse, while a further 12% have gone ahead and actually got back together. This is becoming known as the ‘boomerang divorce’, and it appears to be on the increase.

Why does the boomerang divorce happen so often?

The Co-op Legal Services survey asked couples why they decided to give their relationships another chance, and 73% said that they had managed to forgive an infidelity. A further 40% gave a much simpler reason – they had not stopped loving their former partner.

Harley Street psychotherapist Christine Webber, quoted in a recent Telegraph article, believes that a clue to why couples end up back together, after years or even decades apart, can be found is in the reason they split up in the first place. A common factor is the first child, which can put a lot of stress and pressure on a relationship, even pushing it to breaking point. Webber says:

“A lot of people go through a very angry phase when their children are quite small and they are trying to have careers - it’s a troublesome time. But then they look back at how it was when it was just the two of them and how well they got on and they do hanker after it. On the whole, people are more tolerant with age. They realise that the sort of things they argued ferociously about when they were younger actually are not that important.”

Famous boomerang divorces

There are lots of celebrity examples of the boomerang divorce, including:

• Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The most notable example of a ‘yo-yo couple’ was actress Elizabeth Taylor and Welsh actor Richard Burton. The late actress, who passed away in March 2011, famously re-married her ex-husband Richard Burton a second time. Taylor, who was married 8 times in total, tied the knot with Burton in 1964 but the relationship ended in divorce in 1974. Just the following year, the couple reunited and were married for a second time, although the marriage only lasted until 1976.
• Eminem and Kim Mathers. The U.S rapper and his childhood sweetheart said their vows in 1999, but divorced in 2001 after a stormy relationship. After years apart, and many chart hits reportedly about the relationship, the couple reunited in January 2006. Unfortunately, the new marriage only lasted less than four months before ending in divorce.
• Melanie Griffiths and Don Johnson. The Hollywood pair were briefly married from January to July 1976, before separating, marrying other people and starting families. They tied the knot again in 1989, had a child (the actress Dakota Johnson), and split again in 1994 before Griffith married fellow star Antonio Banderas.

Tracey Miller Family Law are specialists in all aspects of divorce, and have handled thousands of cases with the aim of making the process as smooth and painless as possible. If you need expert advice, get in touch with the team for an informal chat.