LONDON, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- Extramarital affairs are still the main reason for divorce in Britain, divorce lawyers have revealed in a survey Sunday.
However, "family strains" and emotional and physical abuse came second and third as causes of marriage breakdown, The Telegraph of London reported Sunday.
Adultery was the main reason for divorce in 27 percent of all cases last year, according to the survey. The number of divorces caused by "family strains" was 18 percent.
The survey also revealed that emotional/physical abuse caused 17 percent of marriage breakdowns last year.
The figures come from a survey conducted among U.K. divorce lawyers by Grant Thornton's Forensic Practice.
Other major factors cited as leading to divorce include midlife crisis (13 percent), workaholism (6 percent) and addictions such as alcoholism and gambling (6 percent).
Toni Pincott, a matrimonial expert in financial settlements with Grant Thornton, said: "According to our survey's results, 53 percent of all divorces tend to occur in marriages lasting between 10 and 15 years, with a further 40 percent ending earlier, between five and 10 years.
"The first five years of any marriage are pretty much divorce-free, and if the union lasts beyond 20 it looks set for life," she said.
