Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor separate after 17 years of marriage; 'still closest of friends,' says couple

LOS ANGELES: Ben Stiller and his wife Christine Taylor announced Friday, 26 May 2017, that they are separating after 17 years of marriage.

Stiller and Taylor released a joint statement Friday announcing their breakup. They were married in May 2000 and have two children, who they said will remain their priority.

“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,” the actors wrote. “We kindly ask that the media respect our privacy at this time.”

Taylor has appeared in several of Stiller’s films, including Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Tropic Thunder and Zoolander and its sequel.

The statement was first reported Friday by Entertainment Tonight.

In October 2016, Stiller had spoken at length about his battle with prostrate cancer in an essay published on Medium . In the piece, Stiller wrote about receiving the life-changing diagnosis in 2014.