Say that you are single. You do not owe a reason for never having married, and you do not owe a joke about it. "I am single, I have not been married, I am in my forties, and I would like to meet someone for a relationship" is a full opening. A profile that apologises for the fact is harder to answer than one that says what you want.
The divorce and widow guides are for a marriage that happened. This page is for when it did not. If the long part is that you have not dated for years, that guide is the pace. Dating in your forties and fifties is the decade, if that is yours. Dating in your thirties is the earlier one.
Use a photo from this year. Say the decade. Leave your surname and your workplace off until you trust someone. A few messages, a video call, then a public place. You are allowed to want something serious, and you are allowed to want a slower start. Write one of those, so the other person can answer it.
Only Dating is free to join and free to message. We will never ask you for a fee. A stranger who treats "never married" as a reason you should pay, or send photos, or hurry, has not read the profile.
Create a free account to message someone on Only Dating.