Actors Tia Mowry and Cory Hardrict are separating after 14 years of marriage.
Mowry announced the separation in a statement on Instagram Tuesday, shortly after TMZ published a story reporting that she had filed for divorce. The couple wed in 2008 and share two children: Cree, 11, and Cairo, 4.
The “Family Reunion” actor posted a photo of herself with Hardrict, and a statement about their decision to part ways.
“I have always been honest with my fans, and today is no different. I wanted to share that Cory and I have decided to go our separate ways,” she wrote. “These decisions are never easy, and not without sadness. We will maintain a friendship as we co-parent our beautiful children.”
She continued: “I am grateful for all the happy times we had together and want to thank my friends, family and fans for your love and support as we start this new chapter moving forward in our lives.”
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In 2017, Mowry said in a video on her YouTube channel “Tia Mowry’s Quick Fix” that she and Hardrict dated for eight years prior to getting married.
In that clip, Hardrict opened up about their relationship, saying he knew Mowry was “the one” based on how she treated him when he first moved to Los Angeles and was struggling financially.
“I was dirt poor, I didn’t have anything, and she appreciated everything for what it was and she loved me for me,” he said. “I knew, once I can get financially in a better situation, that I’m going to buy her a ring and that’s gonna be my wife.”
The “Karen” actor also discussed the beginning of his love story with Mowry in a 2015 interview with Global Grind.
“I had odd jobs, I worked at Kmart ― graveyard shift, security … I was just grinding, man,” he said. “I met my wife during them days, and she was with me when she was coming out of ‘Sister, Sister’ ― but they had everything, man, and I didn’t have anything. I had a studio apartment, sleeping in the corner with no furniture for almost two years.”
Mowry and her twin sister, Tamera Mowry-Housley, starred in the popular sitcom “Sister, Sister” from 1994 to 1999.
Hardrict said his friendship with Mowry began after he ran into the twin sisters while he was at a bus stop in downtown Los Angeles.
“I was waiting on the bus stop, I shot my first film,” he told interviewer Xilla Valentine. “Her sister and her drove by, they saw me waiting, they asked me to give me a ride. I was just, like, embarrassed. I was downtown. They gave me a ride, and we were friends ever since.”
“That’s how that relationship started,” he added.
On Sunday, Mowry posted an Instagram video of herself at the beach with a message about self-love and letting go.
“There’s two things we can control in life: our attitude and our effort,” she wrote. “And as hard as it is to accept all the things we cannot control and to let go…sometimes we have to in order to grow. I am making a commitment to love myself fiercely and unconditionally.”