Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow Are Separating

Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for J/P Haitian Relief

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and wife Gwyneth Paltrow announced their separation on Paltrow’s GOOP newsletter.

“It is with hearts full of sadness that we have decided to separate,” the couple said in a post entitled “Conscious Uncoupling.” “We have been working hard for well over a year, some of it together, some of it separated, to see what might have been possible between us, and we have come to the conclusion that while we love each other very much we will remain separate.

“We are, however, and always will be a family, and in many ways we are closer than we have ever been. We are parents first and foremost, to two incredibly wonderful children and we ask for their and our space and privacy to be respected at this difficult time. We have always conducted our relationship privately, and we hope that as we consciously uncouple and coparent, we will be able to continue in the same manner.”

Martin and Paltrow also posted a pic of themselves smiling alongside a 2,000-word essay on “conscious uncoupling.” “Divorce is a traumatic and difficult decision for all parties involved””and there’s arguably no salve besides time to take that pain away,” the essay starts. “However, when the whole concept of marriage and divorce is reexamined, there’s actually something far more powerful””and positive””at play.” The essay was written by Dr. Habib Sadeghi, the founder of Los Angeles integrative health center Be Hive of Healing, and Dr. Sherry Sami.

The separation comes amid the upcoming release of Ghost Stories, Coldplay’s first album in three years. The group debuted select tracks at the iTunes festival earlier this month at South by Southwest and premiered a live version of the album last week at Sony Studios in Culver City, Calif.