How date nights really can save a marriage - and could actually be the secret to avoiding divorce

Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie swear by dedicated ‘date nights’ to keep the romance alive – and now research has shown that they could be the secret to avoiding divorce.

Those who take time out of their busy lives to focus on each other – especially when they have children – are 4 to 6 per cent more likely to stay together, according to the Marriage Foundation’s report.

The charity looked at data tracking more than 6,000 couples with young children over the course of 13 years, and found that those who went on date nights when their children were between three and five benefited the most.

Carrie Johnson, who shares daughter Romy, two, and sons Wilfred, three, and nine-month-old Frank, with Boris, recently shared photos of a romantic night out with the ex-PM, involving cocktails, a cinema screening of Andrew Scott’s play Vanya, and pizza and wine at a restaurant.

The pair are following in the footsteps of another former PM, David Cameron, who revealed in 2012 that he and his wife Samantha rely on a weekly date night to maintain their spark.

The Marriage Foundation found that, for those who were still together by the time their child was 14, having had date nights at any stage of parenthood ‘significantly increased’ the likelihood of them reporting that they were ‘very happy’ with their relationship.

Former Health Minister Neil O’Brien has now suggested schools should teach the importance of date nights in sex education lessons. He said: ‘Teaching young people how to have good and lasting relationships is a really valuable thing to do. The effect on society would be so powerful.’

Harry Benson, research director at the Marriage Foundation, said: ‘The act of going out together – whether for a meal, to the cinema or similar – reinforces the positive factors that brought the couples together in the first place.

‘Making time for each other keeps the passion alive.’