Report: Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend split

The Daily Mail is reporting that Charlize Theron and longtime boyfriend Stuart Townsend have split, although Theron denies the couple have parted ways.

Theron, 34, and Townsend, 37, have been an item for nine years. Much has been made of the relative success of their careers, as Theron has featured in many high profile roles and won an Oscar, and Townsend’s work has been far lower in profile. The Mail quotes Theron on the effect of the disparity on their relationship:

Charlize and Townsend met in 2001 when they co-starred in the thriller Trapped. Her career subsequently took off, thanks to films such as Hancock and Monster, for which she won the Best Actress Oscar, as well as a £10million deal to be the ‘face’ of the Christian Dior perfume J’Adore.

But her boyfriend has enjoyed less success, with credits including a supporting role in The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen and a starring role in the American television series Night Stalker, which was cancelled after just six episodes.

Charlize – whose latest film The Road opened in the UK this month – once said: ‘Living with another actor, you always feel guilty if things are going your way and it’s not going that way for the other person.’

Sources say the actress has been spotted in public several times since Christmas without her “commitment ring.”