Filmmaker Tim Burton and actress Helena Bonham Carter have announced their separation after 13 years together.

The pair met in 2001 on the set of Planet of the Apes, and went on to have two children, Billy Raymond, 11, and Nell, 7.

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A representative for Bonham Carter confirmed the separation in a statement and said the pair continued to be friends.

“[They] separated amicably earlier this year and have continued to be friends and co-parent their children,” the statement read.

“We would ask that you respect their privacy and that of their children during this time.”

The unconventional pair never properly cohabited, instead living separately in two adjoining houses in London.

Burton, 56, and Bonham Carter, 48, were last spotted together on Saturday, when singer Nicole Scherzinger posted a photo of the pair visiting her backstage after a Cats broadway show on Instagram.