Johnny Vegas has confirmed his split from wife of seven years Maia Dunphy. The couple, who normally lead private lives, announced the sad news in a joint statement on their social media accounts on Monday. "It is with a heavy heart that we want to let you know that we separated some time ago last year," they wrote. "We are telling people now because speculation is unhelpful at best, and dangerous at worst. As we think is obvious, we continue to fully support each other; there is no acrimony, no story and no one else involved."
© Photo: Getty ImagesJohnny Vegas and Maia Dunphy split after seven years of marriage
The couple continued: "We have never played out our relationship publicly, so we don't feel it's too much to ask for privacy now. We also ask people to be mindful that there are two children involved, and their welfare is our main concern now." Johnny, 46, and Maia, 41, tied the knot in April 2011. They are proud parents to two-year-old son Tom Laurence. The British comedian, real name Michael Joseph Pennington, also has 12-year-old son Michael from his previous relationship.
GALLERY: Celebrity splits of 2017
It's been a difficult 12 months for Johnny. He lost his father back in March 2017 and a short while later the TV star confessed he was struggling to come to terms with his death. During an appearance on Loose Women, he explained: "I haven't dealt with it, I haven't mourned him yet, I've got no idea of what mourning is. I haven't had the cry yet. In fact, I'm angry at him for going as quickly as he did." He added: "I don't accept his death. I'm angry I don't think about him on a daily basis but I don't want to accept he's gone. I feel guilty that I don’t think about him on a daily basis. Things don't go back to normal."
