WHEN I got married in a register office last April, just six friends, our son and our boxer dog witnessed the emotional vows.
It was so low-key that we went afterwards for drinks at the pub where we had our first date, then my husband and I went to our favourite kebab shop for our “wedding breakfast”.
Jane Atkinson tells of the many benefits marriage has
It’s definitely something worth protecting, even as it has reached a historic low among BritonsGetty
Somehow I avoided getting chilli sauce down my dress.
I knew that getting married would be one of the best decisions of my life so I was shocked when, just before my big day, a friend asked why I was doing something so “old-fashioned”, “outdated” and “unnecessary”.
Her comments upset me because I was giddy about tying the knot and making that commitment.
The Geordie and I both knew that standing in front of each other, saying our vows and making our promises would be life-changing for the pair of us.
To some, it is just a daft bit of paper but to us it meant promising to be there for each other through thick and thin.
And there is no better feeling in the world than knowing that someone really does have your back in life.
We also knew it would be much more difficult to chuck in the towel once we were Mr and Mrs, even if we were to go on to have the biggest row of our lives.
But marriage is on the decline.
New data released this week shows that 49.7 per cent of those aged over 16 were in a legal relationship in 2021 — the first time the proportion of married people in England and Wales has fallen below 50 per cent.
And by the following year that had fallen further to 49.4 per cent.
This compares to a figure of 54.8 per cent in 2002.
Which seems like madness when you look at all the advantages.
Research shows that now, as a married woman, I have less chance of developing dementia.
Rescue plan
I could potentially add a couple of years on to my life expectancy and I am less likely to be depressed.
More importantly, there are some huge advantages for our son.
Nearly nine in ten parents who are still together when their kids are aged 13 to 15 are married, while couples who just live together are three times more likely to separate.
And kids who live with married parents are both physically and emotionally better off and do better at school.
I have seen how happy our son is that we are married — he adores the fact we all have the same surname.
Harry Benson, research director at the Marriage Foundation charity, said this week: “Marriage may not be a panacea but it stacks the odds in favour of stable families.”
I couldn’t agree more, Harry. I totally believe that we need a rescue plan for the institution of marriage.
The Government should be kicking this off, and shouting about the advantages, because our country would be so much better off with secure kids and committed couples in stable families.
When delivering his Budget in March, Jeremy Hunt should be looking at the Marriage Allowance and making it more beneficial for couples to marry and reap the benefits.
“Cash for ceremonies” might sound cheap but surely it turns into “money well spent” if it gives our kids a better future.
Over to you, Mr Hunt.
I CAN vouch for the accuracy of the survey that says Newcastle United fans are the worst losers as 58 per cent of those in the North East admit to it. The Geordie is one of them.
We have PMT – pre-match tension – in our house, which is utterly unbearable for anybody in his vicinity.
And then if they lose there’s more PMT – post-match tension – as he sulks, shouts and goes over endless hours of commentary and analysis.
I now check out when they have a fixture and make myself scarce until I know it is safe to return to the house.
FERGIE BOOSTS ROYALS
WHAT a week for the royals.
On Friday, King Charles nipped in to hospital to see daughter-in-law Kate, who is recovering from abdominal surgery.
Fergie has emerged as an inspiration recently after being diagnosed with cancer twice – Charles has done the right thing to welcome her back into the foldGetty
He was on his way to undergo his own treatment, for an enlarged prostate, at the same hospital.
Meanwhile Sarah Ferguson has been having hospital visits of her own after being diagnosed with skin cancer.
This comes after the Duchess of York’s gruelling battle with breast cancer.
Fergie, as we all know, has been involved in a fair few scandals over the years. But now she has emerged as an inspiration.
After openly sharing her skin cancer diagnosis, she urged people to check their moles.
And on Wednesday, despite the anguish she must be going through, she left hospital with her trademark beaming smile and greeted waiting well-wishers.
Charles has done the right thing by welcoming her back into the fold.
The bubbly, fun-loving Duchess is an absolute asset to the Royal Family.
MERCY A MARVEL
LITTLE Mercy Cuthbertson is the most delightful girl who has captured my heart – and those of our generous readers.
After we told last week that the five-year-old’s family need to raise money for a clinical trial abroad to try to help her fight a brain tumour, nearly £10,000 poured in – as well as offers of kindness.
Let’s hope the money keeps coming in for Mercy CuthbertsonGlen Minikin
Transport operator Go North East arranged for her to have a special day out in her home city of Newcastle and sit behind the wheel of one of their buses. And her smile says it all.
I hope the money keeps coming in and Mercy gets the rescue mission she desperately needs.
Foden’s boozy mum deserves a straight red
ANYBODY who slagged off Amanda Holden for being a bad parent after she took centre stage with her mum-dancing at daughter Lexi’s 18th birthday party should maybe look in the direction of footballer Phil Foden’s mother instead.
Last September Claire Rowlands got into bother at a club in Towyn, Wales, after her “party trick” of flicking off a man’s cap turned into a fracas.
People should look to Phil Foden’s mum Claire Rowlands if they want to see what bad parenting looks likeInstagram
She got into bother in a club in Wales last September
A court heard this week how she was ejected by bouncers and then the police were called.
She promptly told the cops to f*** off, was cuffed and put in a cell for the night.
Her excuse for her antics was too much booze and she later told police: “I’m like an animal when I’ve been drinking.”
She was cleared of assault by beating, but fined for being drunk and disorderly.
What a role model.
After this, slagging off Amanda Holden just looks daftSocial Media
PERIOD DRAMA IS DAFT
WHEN you go to the doctor’s it makes perfect sense that you get asked about your reasons for being there.
But now the Government’s ambassador for women’s health, Professor Dame Lesley Regan, says all women and girls should be asked about their periods EVERY time they see the doctor. Which is utter madness.
Dame Lesley Regan is right to advocate for women and girls talking about periods, but you don’t need to talk about it every time you see a GP
Dame Lesley is chairwoman of the charity Wellbeing Of Women and made the comments as part of new campaign Just A Period, which aims to reduce the taboo of talking about menstruation.
I hope the campaign helps all those women and girls who do have problems and struggle to talk about it.
But your GP being forced to grill you about something that may not even be an issue, when you have managed to get your foot in the surgery door for advice about something completely different, seems ridiculous.
AI is soon going to be introduced in supermarkets to check the ages of people before they buy alcohol.
The face-scanning tech will assess customers, and anyone thought to be under 25 will be forced to show ID to a real-life human member of staff before being allowed to buy booze.
Cue scenes of teenagers covered in make-up looking devastated when the AI catches them out.
And overjoyed thirty-somethings who are asked for ID boasting about their computer age.
I BET the grin was scratched off Claudia Schiffer’s face when she finally let her poor cat Chip out of her bag after parading him on the red carpet for the premiere of hubby Matthew Vaughn’s film Argylle.
Chip plays puss Alfie in the spy action movie and he and his owner in the film, novelist Elly, are saved from being kidnapped after her books begin to depict the activities of a sinister underground group.
Let’s just hope Chip looked happier in the movie than he did stuffed into a backpack.
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