You can say you are divorced. You do not need to explain the marriage, and you do not need to sound as if you are starting from nothing. "Divorced, living in Bristol, looking to meet someone properly" is a complete profile. Women in the same position recognise it.
Leave the case off the page. Who left, what they did, the settlement, and your former spouse's name are not an introduction. A profile that is mostly about him tells a stranger that the last relationship is still the subject. The whole story can wait until you are talking to someone you have already decided is a real person.
Say what you want now, in one sentence. A relationship, company, or something you are still working out are different hopes. A profile that tries to cover all of them is harder to answer. If your weeks are already full, say the time you actually have. "A coffee on a Saturday morning" is easier to accept than "we should see where it goes".
You do not have to be ready for everything. You also do not have to apologise for having been married. People who only want someone with an empty past will say so, or they will not reply. Either result is useful.
Keep your children's names, their school, your address, and your workplace off the profile. If you have children at home, the guide for single parents is the practical version. The first meeting stays in public, and it stays without them.
Be careful with the speed, including your own. Some women want to replace the marriage quickly. Some want a long stretch of messages before they meet. Say which you are. A man who rushes you toward a night away, a move to WhatsApp, or a story about money is not matching your pace. Read the romance-scam guide before you send anyone anything. Only Dating will never ask you to pay to keep talking.
There is a shorter guide, dating after a divorce, if you want the same points in fewer lines. If you were widowed rather than divorced, use the guide for women who have been widowed. The order is the same either way: a few messages, a video call, then a public place. How long to talk before you meet puts those steps in a line.
Create a free account to message someone on Only Dating.