I have very few friends; the mutual acquaintances EXAH and I had, he managed to convince that I was a horrible b*tch, etc etc, so I didn't worry about convincing them otherwise. For my closer friends, I simply stated "AH and I have separated, and I really don't want to talk about the particulars."
That stopped any further inquiry. I got a few offers for coffee "in case you want to talk" and aside from that, people just went about their business.
In a nasty separation, there's always some kind of side-taking where friends are involved. It's an opportunity for you to see who is truly your friend and who is out to stir up trouble.
Also...I got rid of a few "friends" after the split because I realized they weren't healthy or supportive to begin with. It was like a massive spring cleaning
