2026-07-29 14:00:09

The UK is seeing a significant increase in pre-nuptial agreements.

Around one in five married couples in the US – where divorce rates are particularly high – has a prenup in place, and the UK is now following suit, according to new data.

Dave Howells is preparing to marry Becca Gibson from West Sussex in the next few days, and he doesn’t have any qualms about having a prenup.

He told the BBC: “A court of law could potentially say, hang on, this guy’s earning a lot more than her, he needs to pay her.

“I built a home for myself. I’ve built a future for myself, including pensions.

“Park the emotional side of me loving both her and the kids, I’m no different now to when I met her, and yet she was independent. Why on earth would I have to pay something towards her life in the event of us splitting up?”

Becca also feels comfortable with the situation.

She said: “It’s nice knowing that if anything were to happen, I would just go back to how life was before.”

UK prenups have previously been criticised for limiting women’s rights. But Becca insists that’s no longer a real concern for her or her girlfriends, following recent changes to the law.

She explained: “You may have some [university] debt, maybe started a business or purchased a home. So you have a lot to protect and to lose by the age of 34.”

London lawyer Mark Gilmartin, who works at JMW Solicitors, has seen a marked increase in demand for prenups in recent times.

He said: “It’s the attempts to protect the fruits of what’s going to be, rather than what is.”

According to the latest research, around one in ten UK couples now has a prenup, following recent legal changes.

However, that headline figure could be set to increase in the coming years, with the UK moving further towards a US-like approach.

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