JENNIFER Lopez shocked fans last night by splitting from her husband Marc Anthony after seven years.
The couple, who have three-year-old twins Max and Emme, told of their pain at ending one of the most high-profile marriages in US showbiz.
They said: “We have decided to end our marriage. This was a very difficult decision.
“We have come to an amicable conclusion on all matters.”
No reason was given, but the couple’s statement added: “It is a painful time for all involved and we would appreciate the respect of our privacy at this time.”Singer and actress J-Lo, 41, and salsa star Anthony, 42, wed in a secret ceremony in June 2004 at her Beverly Hills mansion – after inviting guests to an “afternoon party”. It came just five months after J-Lo’s engagement to Ben Affleck was called off, and a week after Anthony’s divorce from ex-Miss Universe Dayanara Torres was finalised.
American Idol judge J-Lo was married twice before, to backing dancer Cris Judd from 2001 to 2003, and previously for just ten months to Cuban waiter Ojani Noa. They split in 1998. Anthony has sons Cristian, ten, and Ryan, seven, from his marriage to Torres. J-Lo and Anthony had briefly dated before his first marriage and her second.
They got back together in 2004 as he was going through his divorce, and recorded a duet together for J-Lo’s film Shall We Dance?