Charley Webb and her husband Matthew Wolfenden have announced their split.
The actors, who met while both working on Emmerdale, shared the news to Instagram in a statement on Wednesday evening.
The couple have been married for five years after tying the knot in 2018 and share their three children, Buster, 13, Bowie, eight, and Ace, four.
Charley’s statement read: ‘It is with love and respect that Matthew and I have decided to separate. We remain friends and our priority is the love for our children. For their sake we would appreciate privacy at this time.’
Signs of trouble in their marriage first emerged earlier this month when Matthew unfollowed his wife on Instagram.
Separation: Charley Webb and her husband Matthew Wolfenden have announced their split
Statement: The actors, who met while both working on Emmerdale , shared the news to Instagram in a statement on Wednesday evening
It was noted that the soap star had not shared any photos of Charley over the past year or commented on any of her recent pictures.
In his own statement, Matthew shared the same words as his estranged wife but from his own perspective.
A source told the Sun: ‘Charley and Matthew were in very different places in their lives when they first got together.
‘Three kids later and with new careers in the mix, everything has changed and perhaps they are no longer the unit they once were.’
The announcement comes days after Charley said she was just ‘ignoring life’ as rumours mounted that she and Matthew had gone their separate ways.
She took to Instagram to share a cryptic post earlier this month and in recent weeks she stepped out with her wedding ring on her right hand instead of her left.
Posting a selfie looking downcast, Charley captioned the post: ‘Ignoring life and all the jobs I need to do. Also I want more piercings.’
Family: Charley and Matthew share three sons: Buster, Bowie and Ace
Further speculation: The announcement comes days after Charley said she was just ‘ignoring life’ as rumours mounted that she and Matthew had gone their separate ways
Charley and Matthew met on the set of Emmerdale back in 2006 when he joined the soap, and became engaged just three years later, in 2009.
The couple, who share three sons – Buster, Bowie and Ace – previously split in 2013 for two years, before having a surprise wedding in 2018 at Ripley Castle, Yorkshire.
Friends thought they were attending a party to celebrate her 30th birthday
Charley gushed: ‘That moment when we announced what we were doing and seeing everybody’s reaction is the best moment of my life.’
Matthew added: ‘We couldn’t have had a better response. People just screamed for about ten minutes!’
Back in February 2020, following the birth of their third child, Charley admitted to OK! magazine: ‘I don’t feel like I’m finished. I don’t know how many kids I want, but I think I’ll know when I’m done.
‘I may not be able to have anymore, so who knows? I feel blessed with three healthy boys so sometimes I feel like it’s greedy having another.’
Speaking of her and Matthew’s parenting styles, she revealed: ‘I’m definitely the strict one.
‘He’s the more laidback, the fun one. He’s very hands on as a dad and so involved with the kids.’
Cryptic: Posting a selfie looking downcast, Charley captioned the post: ‘Ignoring life and all the jobs I need to do. Also I want more piercings’
History: Charley and Matthew met on the set of Emmerdale back in 2006 when he joined the soap, and became engaged just three years later, in 2009
Yikes! It comes as Matthew unfollowed Charley on social media amid reports they are ‘living separate lives’ after 15 years and three kids together
