David Schwimmer and wife Zoe Buckman announce that they’re ‘taking time apart’

David Schwimmer and his wife Zoe Buckman have announced that they are separating after seven years of marriage.

The Friends star, 50, and the British artist, 31, who have been together for a decade, are currently ‘taking time apart’.

“It is with great love, respect and friendship that we have decided to take some time apart while we determine the future of our relationship,” they said in a joint statement to E! News.

The pair went on to ask for ‘privacy’ as the ‘happiness’ of their five-year-old daughter Cleo is their current priority.

“Our priority is, of course, our daughter’s happiness and wellbeing during this challenging time, and so we ask for your support and respect for our privacy as we continue to raise her together and navigate this new chapter for our family,” they said.

Schwimmer and Buckman met on the set of British film Run Fatboy Run back in 2007, which the US actor directed.

Buckman then relocated to Los Angeles to be with Schwimmer, where they tied the knot in a small ceremony in June 2010.

Speaking about the pressures of fame, Schwimmer recently admitted it took him a long time to be ‘comfortable’ with his celebrity.

“It was pretty jarring and it messed with my relationship to other people in a way that took years, I think, for me to adjust to and become comfortable with,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.

“As an actor, the way I was trained, my job was to observe life and to observe other people, so I used to walk around with my head up, really engaged and watching people.

“The effect of celebrity was the absolute opposite: it made me want to hide under a baseball cap and not be seen. And I realised after a while that I was no longer watching people; I was trying to hide.”