Martine McCutcheon faces 'brutal' blow from 'silent friends' amid split from husband Jack McManus

ok.co.uk:

Parting ways after 12 years of marriage is never going to be easy - not only does it mean a future without your other half, but you also need to untangle an intertwined life that you've built together over the years.

And Martine McCutcheon certainly knows what that's like. Although the former EastEnders star has kept a pretty tight lid on her recent split from husband Jack McManus, in a new Instagram post Martine hinted that she has lost a lot of so-called friends in the wake of her marriage breakdown.Three months on from their separation, Martine let her hair down on a girl's night out, admitting the outing was exactly what she needed following the turmoil.

However, the 48-year-old - who shares son Rafferty, nine, with Jack - also revealed some mutual friends she shares with Jack have remained 'silent' or have 'picked sides'.

Sharing a number of snaps from her night on the town, the Love Actually actress detailed to her 634K followers that her recent break-up had been 'brutal' in some aspects - but losing friends in a divorce is all to be expected, according to Tina Wilson, relationship expert and founder of the Wingman app, and it's something that Martine may need to be mindful of. “Divorce or breaking up with someone after a long period of time together, as Martine describes, can feel brutal whether it was an amicable break-up or messy," she said. "It is very common for mutual friends to pick sides as it is sometimes easier to drop one half because many people find it too taxing to maintain a friendship circle with both parties.They may also feel obligated to favour one over the other, even if they were never asked.