Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie and her actor beau Josh Duhamel have separated after 8 years of marriage and 13 years together.

The couple, who have 4-year-old son Axl together, released a joint statement revealing they had actually split several months ago.

“With absolute love and respect we decided to separate as a couple earlier this year,’ they announced.

The statement continues, “To give our family the best opportunity to adjust, we wanted to keep this a private matter before sharing it with the public. We are and will always be united in our support of each other and our family.”

The couple began dating in 2004 after meeting when Fergie’s band made a cameo in Josh’s Las Vegas show. They got engaged in December 2007 and married in a star-studded ceremony in Malibu in January 2009. Axl was born in 2012.

Last week Fergie was pictured in Rio Janeiro without her wedding band for the first time and similarly Josh had ditched wearing his while out and about in LA. There is no other people linked to the separation.