Meryl Streep and Don Gummer have split after 45 years of marriage but said that they will ‘always care’ for one another.
A spokesperson said in a statement to Page Six that the 74-year-old actress and her 76-year-old husband ‘have been separated for more than 6 years, and while they will always care for each other, they have chosen lives apart.’
It was in 1978 when the former couple got married. They share four children: Mamie, Louisia Jacobson, Grace, and Henry.
According to reports, the two were first introduced in 1978 through Meryl’s brother and tied the knot that same year.
Their wedding came six months after her late boyfriend and actor, John Cazale, died in March 1978 after being diagnosed with cancer.
In an interview with People, Streep said a year after he passed away: “The death is still very much with me. It has forced me to confront my own mortality, and once you do that, you look at things differently.”
After Cazale’s passing, the actress moved out of their apartment and received help from her brother and his friend Gummer.
Streep and Gummer became friends and he allowed the star to stay in his New York City apartment when he was not there. They started to send letters to each other and their friendship quickly turned into something romantic.
During their marriage, they welcomed four children and also five grandchildren.
In 2002, Streep opened up about her marriage in an interview with Vogue and said that the secret to their long-lasting relationship was ‘goodwill and willingness to bend – and to shup up every once in a while.’
She added: “There’s no road map on how to raise a family: It’s always an enormous negotiation.
“But I have a holistic need to work and to have huge ties of love in my life. I can’t imagine eschewing one for the other.”
Sadly, the former couple have decided to separate ways but they are still in good terms.
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