For Richer, For Poorer?

Once upon a time marriage was “until death us do part” but with more and more celebrities calling D-day after their big-day, the question on everybody’s lips is…

Are prenuptial agreements the way forward?

Singing ‘Superstar’ Jamelia certainly thinks so.

The Wag-Blog reported her as saying recently:

"I’m all for pre-nups. I’m going to ask my fiancé Darren to sign one, but he doesn’t know yet."

Possibly not the best way of telling him, but she isn’t the only one thinking along the security lines.

Research conducted by Internet bank Smile found that almost half of us in the UK confessed they would take out a prenuptial agreement before saying “I do”.

In 2004, they found that more than 47% of British women and only 44% of men would like to see prenups made legal.

Phil Garlick, the Director of Operations at Smile said:

"It seems people are taking the 'for richer' part of the wedding vow a little too literally these days. I’m surprised at how many people have admitted wanting a pre-nuptial agreement.”

But in some cases, it works out for the best.

It was revealed last month that Chelsea football ace Ashley Cole cheated on his Girls Aloud wife Cheryl, with hairdresser Aimee Walton.

Soccer Lens is looking at the bigger picture:

“It is not a good time for Ashley, if Cheryl does decide to file for divorce she would be entitled up to £4m in divorce settlement.”

Then there is the flip of the coin.

TeamSugar regard The Beckhams as a rarity in the world of showbiz.

“Victoria and David Beckham seem to have one of those rare celebrity marriages that appears to be pretty stable. Though the two have weathered a few storms (accusations have occasionally popped up regarding David’s possible cheating on Victoria) all and all they seem to be pretty solid.”

It all sounds well and good, but surely it is not an easy subject to broach.

PollyAnnDav believes there are two reasons why couples don’t ask their partners to sign a prenup before the big day.

“First of all… the majority of couples feel it predicts doom to suggest a prenuptial agreement to their perspective partner. Rumor has it that when Jennifer Lopez asked Ben Affleck to agree to a prenup, Ben Affleck ended the relationship.

The other reason is the majority of couples believe that in spite of the statistics showing that more then half of all marriages end in divorce, it will never happen to them. They believe their there love will overcome any possible obstacles that can occur in their relationship…and divorce will never happen.”

However, the author of the Blog, Secrets to a Successful Divorce is sceptical but perhaps more realistic about modern marriages.

“A prenup is not something couples who are in love and planning a wedding feel
comfortable discussing, but…If you feel that they [prenups] are unromantic and that this time is "forever" because you have met your "soul mate", you need to wake up.”

She then goes on to apply her theory to the recent high profiled divorce case of McCartney and Mills.

“Paul McCartney was so in love with Heather Mills that he didn't ask her to sign a prenup... I bet he deeply regrets that decision now that they are involved in a vicious divorce battle for his billion dollar empire. The sad reality is that had these two signed a prenup, there would be no fight…and they might have been able to divorce on friendly terms.”

After an eventful few months…let’s see what the rest of 2008 brings us. Another year will no doubt see more papers being signed.

Royal Sun has been looking at the hot predictions for the months ahead.

“Hotly tipped to announce their engagement shortly, Kate Middleton and Prince William are odds on at 1 to 5 to sign an agreement prior to marriage. Similarly, Jemima Goldsmith is 1 to 4 odds on to ask Hugh Grant to sign on the dotted line, to protect her sizeable inheritance should their relationship progress. Bookmakers are also offering even money on childhood sweethearts Wayne Rooney and fiancée Colleen McLoughlin signing a prenup to ensure fair distribution of their £20m fortune should they split.”

Is Romance Dead?

It certainly seems that way in Celeb-Ville.