'Doesn't lessen the love I have for my husband': The common relationship step Deb Knight opted out of
Historically speaking, women have always been the ones to change their surname when they marry a man.
But if a couple then divorces, does the woman have to give it back?
On the latest episode of Talking Honey, host Shelley Horton spoke with Richard Wilkins, Deborah Knight and Jelena Dokic about whether you can really 'own' a surname.
Watch the video above.
READ MORE: Top baby names in NSW 2024 revealed
Jelena Dokic, Deb Knight, Richard Wilkins and Shelley Horton discuss who owns a surname. Nine
A 9honey reader wrote in with a dilemma: She's divorced from her husband but kept the last name, but now her ex-husband is remarrying and is asking her to change back to her maiden name so his new wife could be the one and only Mrs Power.
"Look, it's a pain for women to change your name," Wilkins says.
"You've got your passport, your driver's license, your bank stuff and if she's known as Mrs Power, whether she works or whatever... she might have kids, that's their surname as well. Stay with Mrs Power."
Horton explains that she believes your name is your brand, adding that you have to think of your own career and how you're seen.
Knight shares that she never changed her last name when she married her now-husband.
"It's my name, it's who I am," she says.
"It doesn't lessen the love that I have for my husband or for my kids who have my husband's surname, but I just didn't even think about changing my name because that's my name. Knight is my surname I've had my entire life.
"The prospect of changing it was really weird, losing my identity in a way."
READ MORE: The truth about the '5am club' - is it all it's cracked up to be?
Deb Knight shares she never changed her last name when she married her husband. Nine
"I think it's a tough one, I don't think there's a clear answer," Dokic chimes in, explaining that she wouldn't rule out taking her partner's last name if she were to marry, but her last name is a part of her brand and how she's known.
But when it comes to advice for the reader, Knight says the reader's ex-husband "should just butt out".
"Exactly, just pull your head in old mate," Wilkins adds. "You married her, she was Mrs Power, she wants to stay Mrs Power. You got another Mrs Power, just be happy with that."
FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.
Most viewed in Lifestyle
Meghan gives first look at Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet’s new UK life
The four-year experiment that created Australia’s best sausage roll
It costs more than $150k to raise a kid, but half a million Aussies do it with no savings. These are the money mistakes to avoid
Prince William and Kate back return to official duties with subtle nod to Prince Harry
