Divorce for star McAvoy
A-lister and wife Anne-Marie divorce
THEY met as fledging stars of the silver screen in the British comedy Shameless before becoming household names. But now X-Men star James McAvoy, 37, and his actress wife Anne-Marie Duff, 45, have made the shock announcement that they are to divorce.
The couple, who have a five-year-old son Brendan, have been married for ten years. Last night they insisted they will continue to have ‘friendship, love and respect for one another’.
In a joint statement the couple said: ‘It is with tremendous sadness that we have come to the decision to divorce.
‘We enter this next phase with continued friendship, love and respect for one another and the shared focus of caring for our son.
‘We ask that you respect our and, most importantly, our child’s privacy during this time.’
McAvoy, who is eight years younger than his wife, is currently promoting his new film X-Men: Apocalypse.
The couple met on the set of the Channel 4 series Shameless, in which McAvoy’s character fell head over heels in love with a teenage girl played by his wife to be.
At the time McAvoy said: ‘We played lovers and we became lovers and it’s been pretty much happy ever after since then.’
‘I don’t really talk about her too much, except to say she’s the best woman I’ve ever met. She’s wonderful.’
The couple married in a lowkey ceremony in 2006, and have continued to keep their relationship out of the limelight.
London-born Miss Duff has chosen not to discuss her marriage with the media over the years. She has previously said: ‘I’m always asked about marriage and children, that’s the nature of the game.
‘It’s a shame, but I have to just keep trying to talk about the work and more interesting things.’ McAvoy has been more open about his private relationships. In the past he has spoken about his father, from whom he remains estranged, after he walked out on him and his sister as children.
McAvoy, from Drumchapel, Glasgow, was raised by his grandparents, James and Mary
‘It is all about family’
Johnstone, when his mother became ill. ‘Family is really important to me,’ he said. ‘But I don’t need answers. I have processed the hell out of my childhood and I have dealt with all that stuff. If I was less secure I might need those answers but I am comfortable with who I am.’
McAvoy credits his grandparents with instilling in him the confidence to have a ‘right go’ and become an actor.
But of the birth of his son, he said: ‘Brendan is the focus of the universe now.’
McAvoy is currently promoting his blockbuster film X-Men: Apocalypse, which sees him return as Professor Xavier in a screen reunion with co-star Jennifer Lawrence. After Shameless, he starred in a number of hit films including The Chronicles of Narnia, Wanted, Atonement and The Last King of Scotland.
Speaking at the London premier of X-Men earlier this week, he is reported to have said: ‘What I think really gives it power is that it is about family.
‘I think that all the X-Men movies have been about family to an extent, but this one is directly riffing off the fact that it is about family.
‘We even talk about the fact that we realise that we are a family.’
Last night, McAvoy appeared on the Graham Norton Show, discussing the new X-Men film with co-star Lawrence.