After seven years of marriage, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony have separated, their publicist tells Us Weekly magazine.
“We have decided to end our marriage. This was a very difficult decision. We have come to amicable conclusion on all matters,” they said in a statement. “It is a painful time for all involved, and we appreciate the respect of our privacy at this time.”
Jennifer and Marc are parents to 3-year-old twins Max and Emme.
Friends for years, Lopez and Anthony dated briefly in the 1990s. They stepped out again as a couple in early 2004. They married at a quiet home wedding in June 2004.
Just last year, they renewed their wedding vows for their 6th anniversary at their Calif. estate on June 5. “We realized the bets in Vegas [on whether we’d make it] stopped at five years,” Anthony joked to Us Weekly at the time. (They also renewed their vows in 2008, and playfully dirty-danced together at Us Weekly’s Hot Hollywood Party in April 2010.)
And as recently as January, singer, actress and American Idol judge Lopez gushed on the Ellen DeGeneres Show about being a parent with Marc Anthony. “As soon as I had the babies, I thought to myself, ‘I want to do this a thousand more times…I love this. This is life.”
Marc Anthony, 42, has two sons from his first marriage – Cristin, 10, and Ryan, 7.
Jennifer Lopez (who famously dated Sean “Puffy” Combs in addition to actor Ben Affleck), 40, has been married twice before: to restauranteur Ojani Noa (they divorced in 1998) and former backup dancer Cris Judd, to whom she was married from 2001 to 2003.
Lopez was a judge on “American Idol” last season, but has not yet announced if she will return to the show. In addition to her musical career, she has starred in films including “The Wedding Planner,” “Maid in Manhattan,” and “The Back-up Plan.”
In April, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony announced plans for a television show together, “Q’Viva! The Chosen,” with Simon Fuller, the creator of “Idol.” The show was to feature the couple as they traveled the world to find the best performers in Latin music, dance and other arts with the goal of creating a “American Idol-type” show that featured Latin performers.
The show has no airdate, and it’s unclear if it will continue.
Lopez released her latest album, titled “Love?” earlier this year. Her career, which had lulled in recent years, has surged since she became an “Idol” judge.
