After 11 years together, actors Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber have decided to end their relationship.
TMZ reports that January 2016 marks the rough turn in the couple’s relationship and that they have already been living apart. And an anonymous source from the set of Schreiber’s show, Ray Donovan, tells People, “They have been on the rocks for quite awhile.”
Watts and Schreiber have never married, which has elicited some criticisms over the years. They do have two children, Alexander (Sasha) Pete Schreiber, who is eight, and seven-year-old Samuel Kai Schreiber. Their statement to People emphasizes their desire to protect their sons as they separate more definitively:
“Over the past few months we’ve come to the conclusion that the best way forward for us as a family is to separate as a couple. It is with great love, respect, and friendship in our hearts that we look forward to raising our children together and exploring this new phase of our relationship. While we appreciate your curiosity and support, we ask the press to be mindful of our children and respect their right to privacy.”
Watts and Schreiber met in 2005 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s yearly costume ball. Over the course of their relationship they’ve appeared in films together, including the film adaptation of The Painted Veil (2006) and Movie 43 (2013).
By all appearances the Watts-Schreibers have been a close-knit foursome, often seen bopping around New York City together. Hopefully the transition to separate co-parenting will not be too emotionally arduous for all involved.
DISCUSSION
It’s splits like this that make me really nervous. I’m getting married in a few months, and if there’s anyone in the world that I believe I can go the distance with, it’s my fiance. That said, I’m well aware that love isn’t actually all you need, and sometimes even relationships with strong foundations crumble.
Marriages that fail after a year or two don’t worry me- that’s generally reflective of people who shouldn’t have married each other to start with. But couples that lasted for a long time before breaking, those make me nervous because it reminds me that no relationship is guaranteed. Any comforting tales from people who have been married a long time, and are still happily chugging along?