20m in UK affected by divorce

Over 20 million people in Britain have been directly affected by divorce or separation, according to a new study.

Research carried out by the Centre for Separated Families found that 33 per cent of the UK's population, in excess of 60 million, have direct experience of separation or divorce.

But despite this high number, just 33 per cent of people who have been affected by the breakdown of a relationship have had professional support, mainly in the form of legal advice.

And three-quarters of those polled who are receiving help said they needed further support.

Calling for more assistance and guidance to be made available to families undergoing separation, the report highlighted the stereotypes that surround lone parents.

Of those polled, 90 per cent said they thought a lone parents would be young and female, and 80 per cent thought they were likely to be unemployed.

"Family separation is often talked about in terms of teenage mothers and absent fathers but family separation is actually a fact of life in the UK across the whole of society," said Karen Woodall, director at the centre.

Of all the people affected by separation and divorce, the report urged parents to be particularly aware of how children manage such situations.

Guidance from the centre's Putting Children First information advises parents not to send messages to an ex through a child, never to bad-mouth the other parent in front of the kids and not to seek forgiveness for what happened to the relationship from children.

Recent figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that the divorce rate in England and Wales fell by seven per cent in 2006 compared to the year before, to 12.2 divorcees per 1,000 people.