Coronation Street actress Faye Brookes and singer Gareth Gates have split after six years together.
The couple first met when they appeared as lovers in Legally Blonde The Musical for the UK tour in 2012, and later became an item.
Brookes and Gates both tweeted, saying they “are choosing to take some time apart”.
Unfortunately @Gareth_Gates and I are choosing to take some time apart. We remain the very best of friends. We’d like to Thank you for all your support over the years x
— Faye Brookes (@Faye_Brookes) September 17, 2018
They added: “We remain the very best of friends. We’d like to thank you for all your support over the years x.”
Brookes, 31, is best known for playing Kate Connor in Corrie, and Gates, 34, is best known for coming in second place in the first series of Pop Idol in 2002.
Last year, Brookes told The Sun’s Fabulous magazine that her romance with the pop star is a “real fairy tale”.
She said: “I totally believe in fate and that he was meant to walk into my life for a reason. He became my best friend and it blossomed into us becoming this unbelievable duo.
“He was the one person who allowed me to let my guard down, for me to be silly, laugh at myself and not take life too seriously.”
Brookes also said they had talked about marriage, but that it was not on the cards, and that she was focused on her career.