Every relationship in history has wrapped up eventually, whether it’s a dramatic breakup or the whole ‘’til death do us part’ situation.
More often than not, it’s the former and, let’s be honest, finding out it’s officially over and you’re suddenly single again can feel like someone’s dropped a plot twist you definitely didn’t see coming.
Plenty of people think their relationship is basically going alright but then end up blindsided when the words 'we need to talk' come up, but in hindsight there may have been some clues that their partner was gearing up to call it quits.
That's what Richard Warner, an expert in the field, thinks anyway. He told the Mail his expertise in this matter comes from seeing these signs in his own relationship, especially since he was the one to call time on things.
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20 years into his marriage he sat his wife down and told her he thought it was time to divorce. He assured her there wasn't anyone else, but he has come up with six signs to be on the lookout for if you're worried your relationship is coming to a close.
The same old sleepwear
Explaining how his sex life declined during his marriage, Richard said the point he knew his bedroom had become moribund was when he started wearing pyjamas every night.
The bloke said he used to often sleep naked hoping that something might happen with his wife, but the moment he realised he was wearing pyjamas each and every night was a key driver in him wanting to leave his relationship.
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Plenty of others have said that giving up on what you want from a relationship is pretty much the beginning of the end.
The mother-in-law
If your partner is telling you they want to break up with you, it's very possible you're not the first person they've told.
Many relationship experts will point out that you should probably be having these conversations with your partner if you want to save the relationship, but Richard said he found himself discussing his relationship with his mum more regularly.
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So from his experience, if your partner is suddenly chatting a lot more to their family then it might spell doom for you, as they could be discussing the relationship issues they won't talk about with you, or letting them know they plan to dump you.
No changing
As well as the lack of sex in the bedroom, Richard said a general loss of intimacy also helped convince him his marriage was at an end.
He said his wife stopped getting changed in front of him, and the two of them would schedule bathroom times so they didn't end up seeing each other naked unexpectedly.
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A body language expert warned that putting up barriers and a loss of that past closeness was a sign to watch out for that the relationship was in trouble.
Missing out on friends
Another big sign to watch out for is the loss of interaction with friends.
Richard reckoned that despite the trope of unhappily married people going down the pub to complain about their relationship, people in happy relationships actually spent more time away from each other doing different things.
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If they're not seeing their friends as much and losing out on other parts of their life then they might get unhappy with the relationship that's taking up all of their time, or those friends might be giving you guys a wide berth while you get on with your 'conscious uncoupling'.
No occasions to dress for
The couple that stops doing things together might not last all that much longer, and Richard claimed it was a 'gut punch' to see his wife get ready for work because she put in a lot more effort for that than she did for him.
Professional counsellor Jeff Guenther said that in relationships headed in the wrong direction, you don't plan things with your partner as you're not really looking to a future with them.
Not going out, dressing up or making the effort for each other might be a warning sign.
Getting in shape
Lots of relationship experts will say that spending a lot of time at the gym is a warning sign that your partner is either cheating on you or getting in shape for a prospective other partner.
It's time out of the house where you're going to be getting hot and sweaty, so it seems the ideal cover for relationship skulduggery. Richard, however, said that in his own relationship he was using it as his refuge where it was a place he could think.
Like Peep Show's Mark Corrigan wondering if everyone else in the arcade was having a baby and hiding from it, he wondered how many others at the gym were there mentally working through the idea of ending their relationships.
Topics: Sex and Relationships
Joe Harker