Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are divorcing after 10 years of marriage. The couple issued a statement Tuesday declaring they plan to divorce, confirming longstanding tabloid rumors about trouble in their 10-year marriage.
“After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce,” the couple said in a statement issued by their publicists. “We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to co-parenting our children whose privacy we ask to be respected during this difficult time.”
The two are parents to three kids: Violet, 9, Seraphina, 6, and Samuel, 3.
The couple often enjoyed family time together at home in Los Angeles where they were frequently spotted on carpool, coffee and after-school activity outings with their brood. But their marriage was also the subject of scrutiny over the years.
The actors have appeared in two films together: 2001’s Pearl Harbor and 2003’s Daredevil. When they started dating, Affleck was fresh off the demise of Bennifer, the name given to his pairing with previous girlfriend Jennifer Lopez and their box-office bombs, Gigli and Jersey Girl.
Affleck, who’s playing Batman in the forthcoming Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, has just come off a big hit with Gone Girl, not to mention Argo, which he also directed and which won for best picture. Garner, who rose to fame in the TV series Alias, has also appeared in such movies as Catch Me if You Can, 13 Going on 30 and Dallas Buyers Club. She was previously married to actor Scott Foley.
The couple married June 29, 2005, in a private ceremony in the Turks and Caicos, months after they famously made their first public appearance together as a couple during the 2004 World Series.
“This will be our only comment on this private family matter. Thank you for understanding,” they said.