Reese, Ryan end 7-year-old marriage
Seven years after tying the sacred knot, Reese Witherspoon, 30, and Ryan Phillippe, 32 decide to separate. "We are saddened to announce that Reese and Ryan have decided to formally separate," publicist Nanci Ryder said in a statement issued Monday on behalf of the couple.
"They remain committed to their family and we ask that you please respect their privacy and the safety of their children at this time" she added.
The couple confirmed on Monday, that they had parted after having previously admitted that they had sought counseling to work out their differences. Witherspoon and Phillippe have two small children -- daughter Ava, 7, and son Deacon, 3.
Reports of marital discord had been out in 2005 and the actress responded to them by telling The Oprah Winfrey Show on Dec. 16, "In what capacity is working on yourself or your marriage a bad thing? ... Nobody's perfect."
The two had met at Witherspoon's 21st birthday bash in 1997 and the very next year they got engaged. The couple married on a South Carolina plantation on June 5, 1999 shortly after co-starring in ‘Cruel Intentions’.
Witherspoon established herself as a major box office depiction after starring in the 2001 comedy ‘Legally Blonde’ and scored a follow-up hit with ‘Sweet Home Alabama.’
The Oscar-winning actress had a career that generally outshone her husband’s but the two seemed to take it their stride. ''We're a team, and we always operate as a team," Phillippe had said earlier this year. ''He's my anchor, best friend and love of my life,'' Witherspoon said in one of her interviews.
Phillippe's recent performances -- including roles in last year's best picture winner ‘Crash’ and Clint Eastwood's ‘Flags of Our Fathers’ helped to take his career to new heights.
"As far as I know, there's no third party,'' said a close friend of Witherspoon's Monday. ''This is just a case of two talented people struggling to balance private lives and big careers that can keep them apart for long stretches of time. As is often the case, it's the relationship or marriage that loses out.''
