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Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor split up after 17 years of marriage

Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor are separating after 18 years together, 17 of them as husband and wife.

Ben Stiller Christine Taylor

In a joint statement, the stars said:

“With tremendous love and respect for each other, and the 18 years we spent together as a couple, we have made the decision to separate. Our priority will continue to be raising our children as devoted parents and the closest of friends. We kindly ask that the media respect our privacy at this time.”

The “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” co-stars met in L.A. in 1999, while Ben was developing a pilot and Christine was to star in it. After dating in April that year and getting engaged in November, the two tied the knot in May 2000.

Ben shared that his real-life experience of popping the question paralleled “Meet the Parents”:

“I asked her father for permission before I did it. It was like ‘Meet the Parents’ย in real life, because Christineโ€™s father is an intimidating guy who owns a security company; weโ€™re good friends now, but at the time I was in the basement rec room saying, โ€˜I really would like to marry your daughter…'”

Ben and Christine have two kids together, daughter Emma, 15, and sonย Quinlan, 11.

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