Ashley Banjo and his wife Francesca Abbott have announced the sad news that they have separated, following a 16-year relationship.
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The Dancing on Ice judge shared a statement to Instagram on Thursday evening, revealing that they had made the decision to part ways 18 months ago, and their focus was now on co-parenting their two young children – Rose, three, and Micah, two.
WATCH: Ashley Banjo shared an adorable video of his daughter Rose as a baby
"Nearly 18 months ago we took the difficult decision to separate. After being together for over 16 years, since we were teenagers, this is not a decision that has been taken lightly," Ashley wrote.
"It has not been easy and the processing of the situation has not been fast by any means. But we feel that as we approach the New Year it is time to share this news with others.
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"Our main focus will always be our beautiful children. Every decision that has been made is to make sure we can continue as a loving family and give the very best of ourselves as parents."
Ashley and Francesca have two children together
The Diversity star continued: "Raising Rose and Micah in a healthy and happy environment is the most important thing to both of us."
READ: All you need to know about Ashley Banjo's love life
Ashley said that after so many years he and Francesca had moved "in different directions," adding that they do so "lovingly and we continue to try and be both the best parents possible and the best of friends to each other."
The couple married in July 2015
The 34-year-old married Francesca in Essex in 2015, and the couple shared beautiful photos of their wedding on social media, including snaps of them walking together through central London.
Ashley and his wife first started dating when they were teenagers, after bonding over their shared love of dance. The TV star previously revealed that he took Francesca to the Science Museum for their first date in 2005, writing on Instagram: "14 years ago I couldn't drive, so I took this girl on a date to the science museum to try and make her laugh and impress her with how much I knew about the nerdiest subjects possible instead."
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