A growing number of women are divorcing in later life, with the divorce rate in over-sixties doubling between 1993 and 2019. Here, one opens up about her devastating split

Despite the age-old promise of "till death do us part" and a record low divorce rate in England and Wales in 2022, the phenomenon of "silver separators" is on the rise. In 2021, a whopping one in four divorces was filed by individuals aged over 50, and from 1993 to 2019, the divorce rate among those over 60 has shockingly doubled. Even high-profile couples like broadcasters Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, both 64, are navigating through the waters of divorce. For Marian Elliott, now 71, the collapse of her marriage at 60 was nothing short of a bombshell.