Reese Witherspoon & Ryan Phillippe Separate

By: Shannon Gossage

A representative for the couple released the following statement on Monday, "We are saddened that Reese and Ryan have decided to formally separate. They remain committed to their family and we ask that you please respect their privacy and the safety of their children at this time." There has been no official word on why the couple split, but they have been very vocal in the past about having seen a marriage counselor. Divorce papers have not been filed.

Witherspoon said in an interview in 2004, "We’re still trying to figure out the mystery of marriage. It isn’t one happy joy-ride, and I so admire couples who’ve been together forever." She went on to say, "Ryan and I were practically babies when we met, and then we were having babies. But we’ve matured a lot. I’ve become less judgmental and more understanding. He helps me find the good in people and the best parts of myself and we’ve really discovered balance."

Witherspoon, 30, and Phillippe, 32, met at her 21st birthday party in March of 1997. The two announced their engagement in December 1998 and were married on June 5, 1999. They welcomed daughter Ava Elizabeth in September 1999. Their second child, Deacon, was born in October 2003. It was falsely reported in June 2006 that Witherspoon was expecting their third child. Witherspoon will next appear alongside Christina Ricci in Penelope and Phillippe is currently starring in the World War II drama Flags of Our Fathers. Witherspoon won an Oscar for her performance as June Carter Cash in 2005’s Walk the Line.