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The “Legally Blonde”, Reese Witherspoon, 30, and the “Flags of Our Fathers” star Ryan Phillippe, 32, are separating after seven years of marriage. The Hollywood golden couple has two children, 7-year-old Ava and 3-year-old Deacon, reportedly met at Witherspoon’s 21st birthday bash in 1997 and announced their engagement in December 1998, and the Cruel Intentions co-stars were married on a South Carolina plantation on June 5, 1999. Their publicist, Nanci Ryder said in a statement issue on Monday, “We are saddened to announce 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.”

The publicists gave no more details about the split but the celebrity Web site TMZ.com, which broke the story, reported that Witherspoon has contacted the divorce lawyer who represented Jennifer Aniston, Roseanne Barr and Lisa Marie Presley. TMZ quoted one unidentified source as saying the breakup was not triggered by any single event but rather by “cumulative” circumstances.
In 2005, reports of marital discord were swirling, suggesting the couple was in counseling. The Sweet Home Alabama and Oscar winner actress responded to reports, telling The Oprah Winfrey Show on Dec. 16, “In what capacity is working on yourself or your marriage a bad thing?. She said at the time: “We’ve done that in the past, and it’s always struck me as odd that people grabbed on to that story and made it sound so negative. Nobody’s perfect. We all have our own set of problems.”

Reese Witherspoon won a best-actress Academy Award for her role as June Carter Cash in 2005’s “Walk the Line.” Phillippe co-starred in the best-picture winner, “Crash,” and Phillippe, now starring in Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers, was part of the ensemble cast honored for Crash.