Monica Bellucci separates from husband Vincent Cassel

Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel have ended their marriage, the Italian news agency ANSA reports, following the announcement made by the press office of the Italian actress on Monday. Cassel's rep confirmed the 46-year-old French actor and his wife are separating by "mutual agreement" in a statement released to Agence France-Presse. The couple have been married for 14 years and have two daughters, Deva and Leonie. In an exclusive interview to be published Wednesday by the Italian weekly magazine Chi, the 48-year-old actress from Città di Castello in Umbria confirms the news: “Yes, Vincent and I are separating. Our respective lives have made us grow apart. But our love for each other will exist forever. Even if our lives are parting, we will always be there for each other.” The pair met in 1996 on the set of the French-language movie “The Apartment.” It was reported that when Bellucci first met Cassel, she thought he was quite full of himself, but she would later defined him as “the magical encounter of my life”. They worked together on nine movies, including the controversial “Irreversible”. They lived in Paris for many years, before moving to Brasil last year, although Bellucci reportedly always kept an apartment in Rome. Bellucci is currently working in Serbia on the set of her latest movie, “Sulla Via Lattea”, where she has the female leading role.