Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux have announced they are separating and love is officially dead.

In a statement, the former couple said: 'We have decided to announce our separation. This decision was mutual and lovingly made at the end of last year. We are two best friends who have decided to part ways as a couple, but look forward to continuing our cherished friendship.'

Jen and Justin said they wanted to 'convey the truth directly' about their decision to end their marriage, saying they are 'determined to maintain the deep respect and love that we have for each other'.

Disagreements over where the couple should live - New York or Los Angeles - are rumoured to be the reason behind the split.

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Theroux and Aniston in April, 2017

The couple had always managed to maintain a degree of privacy, which is fair enough especially considering the huge publicity storm Jennifer was previously involved in thanks to a certain Brangelina situation. But, when us mere mortals have had an insight into their relationship. they always seemed to have some really sweet moments together.

So, let's take a look back at them...

2007: The couple reportedly meet on the set of Jen's film Tropic Thunder, which Justin co-wrote, starrin Jennifer's long-time pal Ben Stiller.

She later told Pop Sugar her first impressions of her future husband were that he was 'so sweet', the 'nicest person in the world' but also 'very dark, first you think he could be a serial killer'. Um, cute?

May 2011: After first meeting, Jennifer and Justin got on with their separate lives until they were reunited in 2011 while working on the film they co-starred in (along with Paul Rudd) Wanderlust.

People reports in May they were spotted out for a 'casual dinner' at Jennifer's favourite restaurant in LA and speculates whether they are more than just friends. A rep for Aniston quickly shoots that idea down, telling the magazine: 'It was a group dinner with six people. It was not a romantic dinner.'

June, 2017: Well, well, well what do you know?

On June 1, People say Jennifer has introduced her 'new man' to her best friends including Friends co-star Courteney Cox and comedian Chelsea Handler.

Jennifer and Justin are spotted at an MTV Movie Awards after party in LA. A few days later, People reports the couple went on a double date with Jennifer's Horrible Bosses co-star Jason Bateman and his wife Amanda Anka.

July, 2011: Justin is spotted in the front row watching Jennifer have her hand and footprints moulded to go on show at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California on July 7. Clearly, by now, they are well and truly a couple.

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September, 2011: The pair are spotted out and about, arm in arm looking all adorable, in Justin's home city of New York.

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Jen and Justin on September 18, 2011 in New York

October, 2011: The couple are photographed having a barrel of laughs with another of Jennifer's best friends, and Friends sister, Reese Witherspoon at the ELLE Women In Hollywood event in LA on October 17.

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January, 2012: It's reported that the couple are taking a big relationship step by buying a mansion in the swanky Bel Air neighbourhood of Los Angeles. According to the Wall Street Journal, the four-bedroom house comes with a pretty chill separate guest house, pool and vineyard and is listed for $24.9 million.

February, 2012: Jennifer gets her Hollywood walk of fame star and loyal boyfriend Justin is there in the front row being all proud.

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She also appears on the cover of In Style magazine where she talks about Theroux (who is actually a real cousin of Louis Theroux, btw) joking that while they've been papped donning matching leather, she's absolutely not stealing his super cool style.

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The couple in New York City in September 2011

'First of all, he has great style - it's very specific, and it has been his style forever. Has it influenced mine? No, but I know people say it has. "Oh, look, you're dressing alike." And I think, no I'm not. I've had this jacket for three years.'

Justin also gives an interview to New York Magazine, revealing the couple have bought a boxer-pitbull puppy called Sophie.

He also spells out how he's going to handle this new relationship in the public eye, meaning he's really not going to talk about it much at all.

'I understand the curiosity, but other than saying I am happy, I am not going to indulge it. That's building your own torture device,' he says.

August, 2012: Justin pops the question (yassss) and the two become engaged. The 43-year-old actor asked Jennifer to marry him on her 41st birthday while the couple were in New York.

Let's check out the absolute rock on her finger for old time's sake.

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Aniston\'s engagement ring - pictured at the Oscars in February, 2013

July, 2014: There can be no other way to describe how Jennifer talks about her fiance but g-u-s-h-i-n-g when she describes his eyes in a recent magazine cover to WWD:

'He's just so beautiful and handsome to me and I love that his eyeballs are so beautifully captured because those eyes just knock me out every day. He just gets better every year. He's just like a lost gem in the sand and he's just always been there and been brilliant.'

November, 2014: A couple of years have passed since the engagement and there's still no sign of wedding bells. Hmm. Jennifer goes on good friend Ellen Degeneres' talk show where she explains that her close mates have also started wondering when the wedding is happening. She makes a reference to 'close friends Sacha and Isla' - who we can definitely assume to be Baron Cohen and Fisher - saying they have shown up to four parties in the past year in wedding guest outfits just in case it's actually a top secret wedding.

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January, 2015: The couple attend the Golden Globes looking as dreamy and happy as ever

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At the Globes on January 11, 2015

August, 2015: FINALLY the couple actually get married at their new home in Bel Air on August 5.

A source tells People guests were told it was a birthday party for Justin, ah so Ellen was right, the sneaky so and sos.

Guests reportedly include Friends stars Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow as well as Jason Bateman, Emily Blunt and John Krasinski, Sandra Bullock, Ellen and her wife Portia de Rossi while talk show host Jimmy Kimmel officiated the ceremony.

In 2017, Jennifer spoke about the wedding to Harper's Bazaar when she was interviewed by Amy Sedaris, who was actually Theroux's best man. Sedaris says of the special day: 'Everything about that wedding was perfect. Everyone was dressed like a bunch of woodland creatures and your dress looked so beautiful and breezy.'

Justin also talks about the secret ceremony two years later in 2017, telling ET: 'It's so much more special when it's just your closest friends and family and it's lovely. [We] wanted it to be a peaceful environment, you don't want it to be hectic.'

March, 2016: Jennifer opens up about being married to Justin in an interview with Harper's Bazaar, saying: 'Married life is so normal and fun and not much different, we felt married for so long.'

She also says Justin is the 'funniest person I've met' and how much they make each other laugh.

July, 2016: After a tabloid magazine suggests Aniston might be pregnant, Jennifer writes a viral blog for the Huffington Posthitting back at the media for constantly obsessing about her fertility. She says she and her husband are 'harassed' daily by 'aggressive photographers staked outside our home who will go to shocking lengths to obtain any kind of photo'.

The next day, Justin posts a beautiful photo of his wife on Instagram, saying she is his 'WCW, here's just one reason why' with a link to her blog post and the hashtag #gogirl 😍

September, 2016: The entertainment industry goes into shock mode when it's announced Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are divorcing. For some reason, some immediately speculate as to what Jennifer might be thinking (even though, at this point, she married Pitt 16 years ago).

Jennifer stays quiet while Justin delivers a particularly strong message to the media: 'I'll say this, she's [Jennifer] been in the public eye a very long time, I've been in the public eye not as long as it relates to this nonsense, but as a child of divorce all I can say is that's terrible news for those children and that's all you can really say,' he tells Business Insider. 'It's boring to comment on anything else. People are having a bad time, that's horrible.'

October, 2016: Justin continues to be the ever adoring and protective husband, telling the Sunday Times his wife is a 'badass'.

'She has lived through a lot of bullshit. Many people would have crumbled under some of the stresses that have been put on her. I'm very proud of her for that, for the way she handles herself. So in a weird way, it's an honour to stand behind her. Truly, in that sense, she's amazing.'

February, 2017: Becoming quite the Instagrammer, Justin shares a gorgeous tropical photo of him and his wife to wish her a happy birthday.

April, 2017: The marriage seems to be going from strength to strength and in April, Theroux tells Rhapsody magazine: 'Marriage makes the small things much smaller and the big things small. You have an ally. It's good to have someone have your back.'

July, 2017: The last time the couple are pictured together publicly. The two look happy and in love as they hold hands watching close friend Jason Bateman get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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Jennifer and Justin on July 26, 2017

August, 2017: Justin shares an adorable picture of him and Jennifer on Instagram to mark their second wedding anniversary.

February, 2018: On 8 February, Jennifer is on the cover of the new issue of Architectural Digest showing off their incredible marital home. I mean, just a look at this beautiful garden.

Jennifer reflects on life at home, telling the magazine: 'I look around at my husband and my dogs and our home, and there's nowhere else I want to be.'

On 16 February, Jen and Justin announce that they are getting divorced, with sources suggesting that the reason for the split is Justin wanting to live in New York, and Jen wanting to stay in LA.

From: Cosmopolitan UK