All is not always as it appears on the surface. Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon are separating after seven years of marriage.

“We are saddened to announce that Reese and Ryan have decided to formally separate,” a rep for the couple said in a statement released Monday. “They remain committed to their family and we ask that you please respect their privacy and the safety of their children at this time.” TMZ.com first reported the couple’s split.

Witherspoon, 30, and Phillippe, 32, have two children, daughter Ava, 7, and son Deacon, 3.