Colin Firth has announced that he has split from his wife Livia Giuggioli after 22 years of marriage.
The 59-year-old, who shares two teenage sons, Luca and Matteo, with the Italian film producer released a joint statement through his publicist, advising that the couple will "remain united" for their children. Firth also has a son with former partner Meg Tilly, his co-star in the film Valmont.
It read: "Colin and Livia Firth have separated. They maintain a close friendship and remain united in their love for their children.
"They kindly ask for privacy. There will be no further comment."
The pair met on the set of the BBC drama Nostromo in 1996 and married in Tuscany a year later.
In 2015 the couple briefly split in 2015, during which time Giuggioli reportedly embarked on a brief relationship with a former childhood friend.
In 2017 it emerged that Firth had followed in the footsteps of his children and applied for dual UK and Italian citizenship, while Livia was applying for a British passport.
Firth is best known for playing a number of famously stiff-upper-lipped English figures on the big screen, including Bridget Jones's Mark Darcy, Love Actually's Jamie, and King George VI in The King's Speech.
