Tobey Maguire and Jennifer Meyer have separated after being married for nine years , E! Online is reporting. The former couple, who met in 2003, confirmed the separation in a joint statement Tuesday.
“After much soul searching and consideration we have made the decision to separate as a couple. As devoted parents, our first priority remains raising our children together with enduring love, respect and friendship.”
Maguire, 41, and Meyer 39, who lived in California during their marriage, are parents to Ruby Maguire, 9, and Otis Maguire, 7. A source close to the ex-couple said they both tried to stay together for the sake of their kids, but eventually had to own up to the reality that the marriage was not what it once was. The source added that the former spouses still plan to be friends for the sake of their children.
Tobey Maguire and Jennifer Meyer have split after 9 years of marriage: https://t.co/NnW9OOGUJ9 pic.twitter.com/cfCd6ai626
— E! News (@enews) October 18, 2016
“They are committed to remaining friends for their children and wanted to wait to make sure of that. They went back and forth on this decision but realized this is where the relationship is and they simply grew apart.”
The Spider-Man star and Meyer, a jeweler whose celebrity clients include Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Hudson, Reese Witherspoon, Courteney Cox, and Jennifer Aniston, got married in Hawaii after dating for four years. Jennifer Meyer is daughter of Roy Meyer, vice chairman of NBCUniversal and co-creator of the Creative Artists Agency.
Meyer and Maguire exchanged their wedding vows in front of a small circle of friends and family, with Tobey’s best pal Leonardo DiCaprio also in attendance. Maguire, who is best known for Spider-Man , the biggest movie of 2003, which made over $400 million at the box office, has been friends with DiCaprio, also 41, since the 1990s when they were young actors. They eventually went on to star in 2013’s The Great Gatsby .
DiCaprio is rumored to be Ruby’s godfather who was born five months before Meyer and Maguire got married. Maguire had been excited with the prospect of fatherhood, revealing that he was happy with the dramatic change that it brought to his life.
“It’s a very dramatic change. My whole life is in transition now with friendships and where I’m gonna live…Ruby is so adorable. She’s just a smiley, little beautiful thing.”
Meyer had likened her marriage to Maguire to walking on air, adding that she was grateful at the chance to tie the knot, start a family, and have a doting husband for amazing company. Tobey had opened up in a rare interview about wanting a secure and comfortable life after enduring a difficult childhood.
According to the Wonder Boys star, his parents were teenagers who went their separate ways before he was 3 years old. Maguire said he had grown up in depressing surroundings and even lived in a shelter during one of the low points of his life.
“tobey mcguire will always be my spiderman” ??
— u/v, u/f. (@HSEOKTHINE) August 26, 2016
The 41-year-old star revealed that he had a chronic alcohol problem and did drugs, but stopped when he turned 19. Tobey Maguire said he had not touched a drop of alcohol ever since. The Sea Biscuit star said his impoverished childhood fueled him with a serious ambition to make money, no matter the cost.
Last week, Meyer was seen in good spirits with pals Kate Hudson and Courteney Cox at a private gathering in Los Angeles. Meyer was also seen wearing clothes from the Oscar winner’s Draper James clothing line with another pal, Reese Witherspoon.
On Thursday, Jennifer Meyer’s Instagram account had given a slight hint that the marriage was at an end when the jeweler posted a Lucille Ball quote about new beginnings and starting afresh.
“It’s a helluva start, being able to recognize what makes you happy.”
Tobey Maguire has separated from wife Jennifer Meyer after nine years and two children https://t.co/6ZC50oqV36 pic.twitter.com/k2HQc1pf7H
— Daily Mail Celebrity (@DailyMailCeleb) October 18, 2016
Jennifer Meyer and Tobey Maguire were last seen Sunday in Los Angeles with their kids. They both appeared glum after leaving the Melrose Place restaurant. Maguire’s last movie was Pawn Sacrifice in 2014. Before then he was in the TV series The Spoils Of Babylon . His next movie is the animated comedy Boss Baby , co-starring Alec Baldwin.
[Featured Image by Jordan Strauss/AP Images]