American actor Channing Tatum and wife, Jenna Dewan, have announced they’re splitting up.

The couple said they have “lovingly chosen to separate” after nearly nine years of marriage.

Channing and Jenna met on the set of Step Up in 2006 and married in 2009.

The pair, who have a four-year-old daughter, added they’re “still a family” and will always be “loving, dedicated parents.”

Their separation announcement came in a joint statement issued by the couple to avoid their separation being “distorted into alternative facts.”

In February, the dancer and actress told Health magazine she wanted to “scream and tell them no one’s perfect” when people said her and Channing have a perfect life.

“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.”

However, fans of the pair are upset by the news and flooded his Instagram page with comments.

The statement reads,

“Hey, world! So…

“We have something we would like to share.
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.

“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 realising 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.

“We won’t be commenting beyond this, and we thank you all in advance for respecting our family’s privacy.”

In December, Tatum wished his wife a happy birthday with a heartfelt Instagram post.

He wrote,

“This creature is one more year beautiful. The transformation she invoked this year has been something they only write about in books of fairytale and magic.

“Your strength and grace ever evolving. By doing so you make everything around you grow- everything. And i am so very grateful for your lessons. Happy life day my love. #leica.”

See his post:

A post shared by Channing Tatum (@channingtatum) on Apr 2, 2018 at 6:13pm PDT

This creature is one more year beautiful. The transformation she invoked this year has been something they only write about in books of fairytale and magic. Your strength and grace ever evolving. By doing so you make everything around you grow- everything. And i am so very grateful for your lessons. Happy life day my love. #leica

A post shared by Channing Tatum (@channingtatum) on Dec 4, 2017 at 12:22am PST