Cruise and Kidman separate

After 11 years of marriage, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman have announced that they are separating because their work is keeping them apart.

Pat Kingsley, a spokeswoman for the actors, said the decision was made regretfully.

The couple have two adopted children, Connor and Isabella. It is not known if custody will be shared. Mrs Kingsley refused to comment further.

She said: "Citing the difficulties inherent in divergent careers, which constantly keep them apart, they concluded that an amicable separation seems best for both of them at this time."

A friend of Mrs Kingsley said: "It's come as a huge surprise. I had no idea that their marriage was in trouble. They had one of the strongest relationships in showbusiness."

The couple met on the set of the 1990 film Days of Thunder and romance soon blossomed - they married on Christmas Eve the same year.

Cruise, 38, has starred in Born on the Fourth of July, A Few Good Men, Jerry Maguire, Mission: Impossible, Rain Man, Top Gun and Magnolia.

Kidman, 33, spent three months in Spain last autumn to film The Others, with Cruise as one of the executive producers. Her movie credits include Batman Forever, Malice and To Die For.

Kidman discussed her marriage in a 1998 interview, adding: "It's been nine years and I'm past the seven-year itch. When you're loved for your flaws, that's when you really feel safe."