The rumors apparently were true: Hollywood couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are splitting up after a decade of togetherness.
On Tuesday this week, the couple released an official statement about their impending divorce, seemingly confirming what many entertainment industry observers have speculated on in the past two years.
"After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce," the pair's statement said, as noted by USA Today.
"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. This will be our only comment on this private, family matter. Thank you for understanding."
The confirmation of the couple's breakup has since triggered a wave of sadness among fans, with some wondering whether relationships can truly last.
"If Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner's love can't last, none of us are safe. So irrationally sad right now ugh," tweeted @allison_keyes.
However, despite the ripples the announcement made on social media, Time noted that this recent celebrity divorce "is the end of an era for celebrity news" due in part to its "boring" quality.
"The divorce of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner matters, in a meaningful sense, only to the Garner-Affleck family and those who are close to them," the piece went. "That's why a conclusive end to the ongoing hyper-focus on how they look at the farmers' market isn't unwelcome."
"But that same close attention to their lives over the past decade is no longer surprising. Now, they're one of many seemingly boring celebrity couples who are subject to the scrutiny that used to be reserved for the exceptional," the article concluded.
Observers got a hint of marital trouble when Affleck, in his acceptance speech for his film "Argo" winning the Best Picture Oscar back in 2013, called his marriage as "work."
"I want to thank you for working on our marriage for 10 Christmases. It's good. It is work but the best kind of work and there's no one I'd rather work with," he said in the speech, directing his message to Garner, as noted by Us Weekly.
The couple married in June 2005 after coming out as a couple in October 2004.
"Since then, his career seemed to soar while hers seemed to subside, as she focused on raising their children. She has had a steady series of smaller or supporting roles," USA Today said. "They were an attractive and appealing couple, active politically, public-spirited, and frequently profiled in magazines as a seemingly perfect celebrity couple. But all was not well in paradise."
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