Drew Barrymore and Will Kopelman saddened fans when they recently announced plans to divorce.
This was the third marriage for the actress and statistics show a high failure rate for those unions. In first marriages, researchers estimate that 40-50 percent result in divorce. So what happens when the story doesn't end with happily ever after?
Depending on how you navigate it, divorce can be a necessary and positive move forward.
In the book "37 Things I Wish I'd Known Before My Divorce," Nicole Baras-Feuer and her mother Francine Baras offer a guide with tips, lists and how-tos that aim to help you emotionally and practically get through your divorce.
Read more: 10 things I wish I'd known before getting divorced
If you are at the point in your marriage where you are seriously considering divorce, they recommend asking yourself these six questions before taking any further steps:
1. Have you done everything you can to save your marriage? (i.e. have you seen a marriage and couples therapist, and was your spouse a willing participant?)
2. Are you prepared to survive on your own, especially emotionally and financially?
3. Has it been a very long time since you were intimate and affectionate with your spouse? (i.e. holding hands, kissing, taking a romantic vacation)
4. Does everything about your spouse irritate you?
5. Do you and your spouse argue daily or almost daily?
6. Do you and your spouse ever laugh together?