Reach out and be inclined to support former wife (6)
I believe the answer is:
extend
'reach out' is the definition.
('extend' can be a synonym of 'reach out')
'be inclined to support former wife' is the wordplay.
'be inclined' becomes 'tend' (I've seen this before**).
'to support' means one lot of letters go next to another (in a down clue, some letters hold others up).
'former wife' becomes 'ex'.
'tend' after 'ex' is 'EXTEND'.
'and' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for extend that I've seen before include "Hold out or stretch out" , "Straighten out" , "Stretch out, say the hand of friendship" , "Spin out" , "Stretch out over a distance or lengthen in time" .)