Do I have to give a reason for divorce?

In England and Wales, no. Since 6 April 2022 you state that the marriage has irretrievably broken down and the court accepts it. You do not name a reason, you do not have to say what your partner did, and they cannot argue the point. In Scotland and Northern Ireland you still need a legal ground, though separation counts as one.

England and Wales

The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 removed the old five facts. The application contains a single statement of irretrievable breakdown, which the law treats as conclusive. You can apply alone or jointly. Your partner can dispute only whether you were validly married or whether the English and Welsh courts have jurisdiction. The process then runs on its timetable: a minimum of 20 weeks to the conditional order and six more to the final one. The page on how to get a divorce in the UK sets out the steps.

Scotland

You must show irretrievable breakdown by one of four routes: your partner's adultery, their behaviour being such that you cannot reasonably be expected to live with them, one year's separation with their consent, or two years' separation without it. Separation is the most common route and involves no blame. If you want to divorce quickly and your partner will not consent, behaviour is the route, and that does mean describing it.

Northern Ireland

The five facts still apply: adultery, unreasonable behaviour, desertion for two years, two years' separation with consent, or five years without. There is a court hearing.

Does the reason affect anything else?

Rarely. In England and Wales, what either of you did during the marriage is only relevant to the financial settlement where the conduct is so serious it would be unfair to ignore, and courts set that bar high. Adultery, coldness, ordinary unkindness: none of it moves the money. Arrangements for children turn on the children's welfare. Scotland's approach to dividing matrimonial property is similarly blind to fault in almost all cases.

Where there has been domestic abuse, that is different. It can be relevant to the financial outcome and to child arrangements, and it changes your access to legal aid. Tell your solicitor.

No reason to the court, a reason to yourself

The law no longer asks why. People still ask themselves, and a common thing the people who do this work hear is "but nothing terrible happened, so what would I even say?" You do not have to say anything to anyone. Being unhappy for a long time is enough for the law. Whether it is enough for you is a different question, and only you can answer it.

What this might mean for you

If the thing holding you is that you cannot justify leaving to a judge, that reason is gone in England and Wales. If what holds you is that you cannot justify it to yourself, your family or your partner, that is worth looking at plainly rather than hoping the law would decide for you. The free module Weighing it: your leaning today gives you a way to see where you stand without having to make a case. What's really holding you separates the practical blockers from the rest.

This is general information, not legal advice. Speak to a family solicitor or Citizens Advice about your own position. If your partner frightens you, the National Domestic Abuse Helpline (0808 2000 247, 24 hours) and Men's Advice Line (0808 801 0327) can advise before you start anything.