Cheryl’s done it twice now. Jordan – even in her situation – says she’d love to do it.

I don’t get it.

Why, in 2014, are so many women still changing their surnames to their husbands’ when they get married?

It’s not only horribly sexist, it’s also basically medieval.

And it’s not like there hasn’t already been acres of misogyny in the actual wedding itself, all done in the name of tradition… the groom asks the bride’s father for his permission, the father hands her over at the ceremony, like property, at the reception they both make speeches, along with the best man, i.e. all the blokes talk while the subservient little women keep schtum.

Most couples opt to take it out of their vows, but let’s not forget that strictly speaking the woman is meant to promise to obey the man, but not vice versa.

And at the end, the bride throws the bouquet to see who’ll get married next – but only the women queue up to try and catch it (because only women want to get married) while their boyfriends look on ­nervously, wondering which of them will be trapped by an old ball and chain next.

Then, once all that insulting old guff is out of the way, woman are also supposed to give up the names they’ve had all their lives, and are presumably pretty attached to?

It just doesn’t make sense.

Can you not love and be committed to each other without having to share an identity?

(Image: PA)

And if the answer to that question really is no, why do women just automatically opt to take the man’s name, rather than it being a discussion where both surnames are considered?

You know, like we’re equals or something.

Double-barrelling is a bit ridiculous, but still preferable, as is mixing the two last names to form a new one, which both parties then take.

There simply has to be a new, better, modern, FAIR way of doing it.

The wife taking the husband’s name might be the way things have always been done, but so what?

Progress is applauded in all other areas of life – why not here?

The other problem with the wife taking the husband’s name is what happens if they divorce.

Take, for example, Jo – Ronnie Wood’s ex-wife. She became Mrs Wood when they married and then, 35 years later, he traded her in for a younger model.

When they split, people accused her of exploiting her association with him, because she kept his name, but what was she supposed to do?

Give it up?

Meekly hand it back even though she’d answered to it for much longer than she did her maiden name?

So if you’re a girl about to take the plunge – stop and think about it first.

You won’t start wearing your new husband’s clothes when you’re married, or give up your job to go and do whatever he does, so why answer to his name?

Because although Cheryl Fernandez-Versini is a glamorous moniker, Jean-Bernard Tweedy ain’t bad either.