Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin 'Consciously Uncouple' (i.e. Split Up)

Gwyneth Paltrow and husband Chris Martin of Coldplay announced yesterday that they have decided to "consciously uncouple," following a decade of marriage that produced two children, daughter Apple, 9, and son Moses, 7. The news was posted on Paltrow's Goop website Tuesday.

"It is with hearts full of sadness that we have decided to separate," the statement said. "We have been working hard for well over a year, some of it together, some of it separated, to see what might have been possible between us, and we have come to the conclusion that while we love each other very much we will remain separate."

They continued, "We are, however, and always will be a family, and in many ways we are closer than we have ever been," the statement said. "We are parents first and foremost, to two incredibly wonderful children and we ask for their and our space and privacy to be respected at this difficult time. We have always conducted our relationship privately, and we hope that as we consciously uncouple and coparent, we will be able to continue in the same manner."

Along with the personal statement, the site posted information explaining the term "Conscious Uncoupling." An article written by frequent Goop contributor Dr. Habib Sadeghi and his wife Dr. Sherry Sami suggests that divorce can be a teaching moment in couples' lives. Paltrow has called Sadeghi her mentor, and said that he "has taught me the way to what is honest."

"The media likes to throw around the statistic that 50% of all marriages end in divorce," the article reads in part. "It turns out that's accurate: Many people are concerned about the divorce rate and see it as an important problem that needs to be fixed. But what if divorce itself isn't the problem? What if it's just a symptom of something deeper that needs our attention? The high divorce rate might actually be a calling to learn a new way of being in relationships."

Paltrow, 41, is the daughter of actress Blythe Danner and the late producer Bruce Paltrow. The actress received an Oscar for 1998's "Shakespeare in Love." Martin, 37, is one of the founders of the rock band Coldplay. The couple married in 2003.

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