St. Louis Today recently reported that Republican House Speaker Steve Tilley announced to his fellow lawmakers news that he and his wife of 18 years would be seeking a divorce. The couple reportedly filed for divorce on September 15 in Shannon County.

In his divorce announcement, Tilley noted that the pair had grown apart emotionally, partially due to his burdensome political responsibilities as well as his wife's busy schedule.

Tilley was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in November 2004 and became the Majority Leader in January 2008. In 2010, he was elected House Speaker, and he is currently running for Lieutenant Governor of Missouri in 2012.

Marriages can break up for a number of reasons, but some reasons come up more than others. Among the most common are poor communication, financial struggles, infidelity, lack of commitment to the marriage and a serious shift in priorities. Other common reasons include failed expectations or unmet needs, addiction or substance abuse, inability to resolve conflicts, and abuse.

Tilley is well known for his fast-track to political fame, and it shouldn't come as too much of surprise that such a shift in responsibilities would have a negative impact on his marriage.

As we pointed out awhile back in a post about the divorce of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, divorce after long-term marriage is sometimes brought about by a dramatic event or shift in circumstances, but more often than not such marriages fail because they have finally run out of steam or problems that were already there in the marriage simply become more pronounced.

Whatever the reason for the failure of such marriages, there can often be a lot of cleanup to do when planning for divorce.

Source: St. Louis Today, "House Speaker Tilley tells colleagues he's getting a divorce," Jake Wagman, October 11, 2011.