Proposed changes in the law to end the ‘blame game’ when a marriage comes to an end have recently been announced by the Justice Secretary marking a huge overhaul of the current law, which is close to 50 years old.

Tini Owen’s battle for a divorce from her husband has reached a final conclusion following the Supreme Court’s decision to deny her a divorce based on her husband’s alleged unreasonable behaviour.

With headlines such as “Liam Payne calls in divorce lawyers to advise how to protect his £54m from Cheryl and still have access to his son…”, it is not surprising that there remains confusion about unmarried couples’ rights. So what is the position when a couple who are not married separate? Is there such a thing as “common law marriage”?