Little Britain star’s civil partnership dissolved

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Matt Lucas and Kevin McGee’s relationship legally ended today when their civil partnership was dissolved by the family court in London.

Mr Lucas, one of the stars of comedy show Little Britain, was granted a dissolution on the grounds of unreasonable behaviour by Mr McGee, a TV researcher.

The dissolution was uncontested and the details of his behaviour were not disclosed.

Mr Lucas announced the split in June, 18 months after they entered into a civil partnership.

A joint statement from law firm Mishcon de Reya and Withers LLP, who have represented Heather Mills and Diana, Princess of Wales, said:

“It is with sadness that Matt and Kevin announce that their relationship has come to an end.

“Their separation is amicable.

“They ask the press to respect their privacy at this time and to exercise restraint in any reporting of this matter.”

The ceremony was one of the first celebrity civil ceremonies conducted after new laws came into force nearly three years ago.

After a formal ceremony guests were invited to a pantomime-themed reception in Soho.

Figures obtained by PinkNews.co.uk in August showed that less than 250 lesbian and gay civil partnerships have ended in a dissolution.

Between December 2005, when gay and lesbian couples gained the legal right to formalise their relationships, and December 2007, there were 24,629 civil partnerships in England and Wales.

Couples have to wait at least a year before they can apply for a dissolution of their partnership.

Her Majesty’s Court Service told PinkNews.co.uk that between December 2006 to 28th July 2008, there have been just 245 petitions for a dissolution.

Of those, 108 have been granted a final dissolution, one partnership has been declared null and three have had separation orders issued.

The figures may include same-sex unions, marriages or partnerships entered into overseas and dissolved by the courts in England and Wales.

An ONS Spring 2008 publication, Population Trends, stated:

“Divorce rates in 2005 suggest that approximately 45 per cent of marriages will end in divorce.

“Almost half these divorces will occur before couples reach their tenth anniversary.”

Most recent figures show there were 132,562 divorces in 2006 and 141,750 in 2005.

In 2006, there were 275,140 weddings in the UK.

The Office for National Statistics does not propose to ask a question about sexual orientation in the 2011 Census.

However, there will be a ‘civil partnership’ option on the census, which is conducted every 10 years by the ONS.

Every household in the UK is legally required to fill out a census form.

The Treasury estimates that 6% of the UK population are lesbian, gay or bisexual.

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