You often hear of couples who have stayed together “for the sake of the kids”; rarely do you hear people say they have decided to split up for their children’s sake.

But Gavin Henson, the Welsh rugby player, said just that this week. He and fiancée Charlotte Church, who have two young children together, broke up earlier this year because they didn’t want to “ruin” the youngsters’ lives.

He told Fabulous magazine: "It's no secret that we weren't getting on, but we didn't want to drag it out for another couple of years. I couldn't have the children being five or six years old and crying because we were arguing. I wouldn't want to tear the family apart then. That's horrible.

"I'm not from a broken home; it's the last thing I wanted for my kids. But I just knew it was going to ruin their lives if we'd carried on. I don't want them growing up with issues. By doing it this way, when they're young, they'll grow up thinking it's normal to see mummy some days and daddy the others. It was a brave decision, but a sad one.”

Many people think it is better for couples to stick together, come what may, for the well being of their children, but this isn’t the case. To grow up in an atmosphere of constant tension and ill feeling, of regular arguments and confrontations, isn’t conducive to a happy childhood.

Even if parents aren’t constantly at each other’s throats, their unhappiness with each other will eventually become obvious to the children. And if kids know their parents are miserable, they will be miserable too.

It is far healthier, if a relationship is beyond saving, to go your separate ways – for the sake of the kids. They may be sad and horrified to begin with, but in time they will come to understand and benefit from the divorce.

They will see Mum and Dad happy again and may even witness an improvement in their parents’ relationship. They will have two homes, instead of only one; two sets of presents at birthdays and Christmas and twice the number of holidays.

They will also have more of their parents’ attention: when a couple are embroiled in a difficult relationship with each other, they may give less time and emotional support to their children. Once they are free of the stress of being in an unhappy marriage, they can become better parents.