Interfering in-laws have been the butt of many a stand-up comedian's jokes for generations, but according to latest research, they are no laughing matter.
In fact, according to divorcees, they are the cause of as many as one in 10 marital break-ups in Britain.
The figure was revealed in a study of reasons for marital breakdown by Co-operative Legal Services. .
When asked about underlying tensions, three out of 10 mentioned arguments about seeing parents and family.
But among couples still together parents were also cited as the biggest positive influence on their marriage.
One of the study's main conclusions was that the majority of divorces happened because couples spend more time planning for their wedding day than discussing their future life together.
And the main cause for divorce was adultery, which broke up a third of marriages.
Christina Blacklaws, director of family law at The Co-operative Legal Services, said: "When getting engaged, couples spend so much effort planning for the wedding day of their dreams that they lose sight of the next 50 years of married life.
"Sadly, this is the underlying reason for the majority of divorces, as couples with different ideas and expectations start to drift apart and no longer connect a few years down the track."
Top 10 main reasons for marriage breakdown (participants could select more than one):
Affair (33 per cent)
Selfishness (22 per cent)
Personality traits (14 per cent)
Abusive behaviour (14 per cent)
Different expectations from life (13 per cent)
We're not compatible (13 per cent)
Job loss or debt (12 per cent)
Interfering in-laws (11 per cent)
Got married too young (9 per cent)
Political beliefs (8 per cent)