Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan Tatum announced their separation in a joint statement posted on Instagram Monday.
“First off, it feels odd that we have to share this kind of thing with everyone, but it’s a consequence of the lives we’ve chosen to lead, which we also happen to be deeply grateful for,” the power couple wrote. “We’re living in an incredible moment in time, but it’s also a time where truth can easily get distorted into ‘alternative facts.’ So we want to share the truth so you know that if you didn’t read it here then it’s most certainly fiction.”
“We have lovingly chosen to separate as a couple. We fell deeply in love so many years ago and have had a magical journey together. Absolutely nothing has changed about how much we love one another, but love is a beautiful adventure that is taking us on different paths for now. There are no secrets nor salacious events at the root of our decision—just two best-friends realizing it’s time to take some space and help each other live the most joyous, fulfilled lives as possible. We are still a family and will always be loving dedicated parents to Everly.”
They concluded, “We won’t be commenting beyond this, and we thank you all in advance for respecting our family’s privacy. Sending lots of love to everyone, Chan&Jenna.”
Many fans have followed the duo’s romance since the two started dating after they met on the set of the movie Step Up in 2006. They got married in 2009 and in May 2013, they welcomed their baby girl, Everly.
About a year ago, Jenna talked to Ellen, host of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, about how they met on the set.
“So three days go by, and he goes out with all the dancers from Step Up and had this crazy, wild tequila night. And he said he had the chance ‘to be free’ and he couldn’t stop thinking about me. So he comes down to my hotel room a 2 a.m., and he’s banging on the door, and I’m like, ‘What is going on?!’ And I go and I open the door, and he’s in a sombrero. He’s naked—no, I’m sorry. He’s in underwear, underwear, sombrero and Ugg boots, and he’s like, ‘Let’s do this,'” the 37-year-old actress said.
In an interview with BBC Radio One’s The Breakfast Show With Nick Grimshaw, Channing shared that he accidentally made Jenna cry before he proposed to her.
“When I proposed to my wife I did something pretty cruel because I thought she was on to me,” Channing said. “I basically told her I never wanted to get married to try to throw her off.”
“I told her, ‘I don’t believe in the institution of marriage and I don’t think I ever want to get married,'” he confessed. “She basically broke down crying. I thought, ‘This is not going well at all,’ so I had to propose to her sooner rather than later.” He eventually popped the question in September 2008 during their vacation in Maui.
Jenna admitted that their marriage is not “perfect” and does come with challenges. “When people say, ‘You guys have such a perfect life,’ I want to scream and tell them, ‘No one’s perfect,'” she told Heath magazine. “I think there are such things as great fits. It is a great fit as long as you are growing together, and I think up until this point we’ve really grown together. Even if one starts to grow, the other catches up and vice versa.”
“But I think a couple needs to be conscious and to want to do the work and be willing to look at the parts of you that need work,” she explained. “Both of us have been pretty aware and willing to do that. We’ve always had the same values. But we’re not perfect! Are you kidding? We fight like other couples, we disagree about things, we have days where we don’t really like each other.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhFuWBaBGqc/?hl=en&taken-by=channingtatum
