One in five newlyweds admit regrets

According to the poll, more than two in five (43 per cent) regretful husbands admitted they felt marriage was something they had to do.

AAP

NEWLYWEDS may not be living happily ever after, with one in five in the UK admitting within the first year of their big day they had some regrets about getting married, a survey shows.

The poll found 20 per cent of 16 to 54-year-olds looking back at the first 12 months of their marriage felt they had the occasional regret or many regrets.

Nearly one in five (17 per cent) revealed their first year of marriage was more difficult than expected.

Almost half (47 per cent) of divorcees quizzed admitted they had regrets about their union within the first 12 months of married life.

Asked why they felt regret, 27 per cent of respondents claimed it was due to the fact they "got married because they felt they had to".

Men experienced this pressured feeling more, according to the poll, with more than two in five (43 per cent) regretful husbands admitting they felt marriage was something they had to do.

Another 27 per cent of those who had regrets said the regrets stemmed from the feeling they "married without really being in love".

Almost half of divorcees (48 per cent) who had regrets in the first year said it stemmed from the belief that they got "married without really being in love".

The survey of 1055 people was conducted in June by Ipsos Mori to coincide with Channel 4's Cutting Edge documentary, Newlyweds: The One-Year Itch, looking at the reality of modern-day married life.

About 443 of respondents had been married for more than a year or divorced, with 418 happy to answer further questions. Of those questioned in more detail, 44 were divorced.

The documentary, to be aired at 9pm on Wednesday, followed the fortunes of 50 couples who married last year and revisited six of those couples a year later.

From the original 50, 29 of the marriages were the couple's first, while for 21 couples at least one partner had been married before.

All the couples were still together, with two temporarily separating during the first year, producing a total of 15 babies.