We got divorced to save our relationship - we're still dating but we'll never get married again

For many, filing for divorce spells the end of a relationship - but for one woman, walking away from her marriage was the exact anecdote needed to bring her closer to her partner.

Anu Verma, who divorced her husband, Robert Durrant, to save their relationship, says they are now happily dating - but despite getting back together, Anu insists she will never marry her spouse again.

The couple, from Coventry, met and fell madly in love while on respective party holidays with friends in Ibiza.

But their romance fizzled out just two years after they tied the knot, following Anu's struggle with postnatal depression after she gave birth to their first child, Noah, in 2018.

The 44-year-old tried dating again, but Robert still held a place in her heart and the pair reconciled in 2021, before going on to have their second child, Eva.

Despite the couple now thriving in a healthy relationship, Anu is refusing to get remarried as she 'doesn't need that kind of validation anymore.'

She said: 'The strain of being married and what that means - and other people's expectations - is what ultimately led to its demise.

'But while I tried to move forward, there were moments when I found myself wishing the person I was dating was Rob.'

The 'complicated' period of time allowed Anu to confront 'unresolved' feelings she still had for Robert, adding that it 'took getting divorced' to bring the couple closer than ever.

However, she added: 'I don't want or need to be a wife.'

The divorce was partially triggered by Anu's battle with postnatal depression after giving birth to their little boy, Noah.

The mother, who also has a daughter from a previous relationship, admitted she started feeling 'resentment' toward not only her ex-husband, but also within herself.

Anu explained she was plagued with 'sadness and low self-worth,' which, in turn, contributed to the couple drifting apart.

She explained: 'At first, our marriage felt like a breath of fresh air. But then feelings of lingering insecurity and fear of abandonment started to kick in.

'We started arguing more frequently and I felt increasingly more resentful - not so much toward Rob, but for the situation we were in. It was clear by the time of our divorce that being together was no longer healthy for us.'

The mother, who was grappling with coming to terms with co-parenting, decided to hire a therapist to help her process her feelings.

It was during one pivotal session that she realised she had been suffering with postnatal depression.

Swamped by feelings of guilt and regret, Anu reached out to her old flame in a bid to make amends, which soon led to the pair getting back together.

She said: 'Knowing that our marriage ended, in part, due to my struggles with postnatal depression was incredibly difficult to come to terms with. It was painful but it also motivated me to focus on healing.'

'Rob and I realised that there was still a strong bond between us and decided to give it another chance.'

Despite Anu's decision to not remarry, Robert, who considers himself 'traditional,' does not agree with his ex-wife's new outlook.

However, Anu insists his main priority is her happiness. She added: 'He knows I don't follow traditional norms, especially when it comes to marriage but it's what he loves about me.

'I am worried about negative feelings resurfacing if we were to tie the knot again and, for me, that's the main reason right now that we're not looking into it.'

Anu also blamed the breakdown of her marriage on a lack of communication between the pair, which ultimately led to a 'continuous downward spiral' until the divorce.

While people are shocked to learn about their divorce and decision not to remarry, the couple don't get judged for it.

Anu explained: 'Because we're living together with our two kids, people just see us as husband and wife.

'It's not really changed anything - except there's no legal document binding us together for life.

"We've had to learn the hard way how crucial it is to be open with each other about our feelings. And to address issues as they arise rather than letting them fester.'

Most importantly, the couple have now learned to prioritise one another, regardless of the 'chaos' life throws at them.

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Amy Porterfield, 47, spoke with Business Insider in April about her marriage to her husband Hobie, and how being the breadwinner didn't destroy their relationship, but required some adjustments for both of them.