Celebrity calls for costly divorce proceedings to be simplified

Gary Lineker is calling for a “mathematical equation” to help couples divorce quickly and avoid the “manipulative” behaviour of lawyers.

The star, aged 55, has recently announced his marriage breakdown from his second wife, model and actress Danielle Bux, 36. The split seems to be amicable from their social media posts, which claim they will still remain close friends.

Speaking to the Radio Times, Mr Lineker said: “Just general speaking, it’s very easy to get married and very difficult to get divorced. And we know that lawyers try to manipulate it to make you spend more money and basically end up hating each other.”

“I think there should be a mathematical equation that goes straight to the courts and they sort it out.”

The couple divorced through a government website for a cost of £400.

It sounds as though the couple have had a bad personal experience. But this view shouldn’t be generalised to everyone involved in family dispute resolution. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to separation and divorce - often couples can’t finalise everything quickly or amicably, so that is where legal support is critical.

We believe that there are alternative ways to divorce with dignity. Collaborative Practice offers separating couples a way to agree their legal separation arrangements and divorce without a court battle and with minimum conflict.

Consensus Collaboration Scotland are a network of lawyers, financial planners and family consultants committed to this collaborative approach to dispute resolution, giving couples control over decision making and making sure they make good financial choices for the future.