JLo and Anthony call it quits

"This was a very difficult decision. We have come to an amicable conclusion on all matters," they said in statement.

LOS ANGELES:

Singer-cum-actor Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony announced they were ending their marriage on July 15, 2011. The couple got married in 2004 in their Beverly Hills home and had twins in 2008. Anthony was previously married to former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres, while Lopez has been wed to Ojani Noa and Cris Judd.

The breakup comes as a surprise to many as just last year, Anthony and Lopez renewed their vows on their sixth anniversary and in May of this year, they gave a steamy performance together on the season finale of “American Idol”.

The two superstars had dated briefly in the 90’s and remained friends even after they split and married other people. Marc Anthony married Dayanara Torres Delgado, who is an actor, talkshow host, model, former Miss Universe, and dancer from Puerto Rico, on May 9, 2000. Their divorce was finalised in the Dominican Republic on June 1, 2004. Meanwhile Lopez had her fair share of romances too. Her most followed romance was with actor Ben Affleck, however, the couple split in January 2004, and six months later, Lopez and Anthony were married in a secret ceremony at Lopez’s Beverly Hills home. They became parents to three-year-old twins Max and Emme, in February 2008.

Professionally, Anthony and Lopez have recorded a number of duets together and starred in and produced the feature film, El Cantante. The couple was famous for always being sync in terms of their attire, body language and careers.

Jennifer’s take on love is rather bold as she has been quoted as saying, “I throw myself into love because I believe in it, but when things don’t work you have to take responsibility.”

According to E! News, rumour has it that with Marc Anthony owing Internal Revenue Service (IRS) $3.4m in back taxes, pressure is piling up to make money fast and pay off his debt.

According to a New York judgments and liens filing dating back to March 29, Anthony (under his real name, Marco Antonio Muniz), was hit with a tax lien on some property he owns in Long Island. But that’s not the only time he’s failed to pay the government its due. The Latin star also had a lien filed against the same piece of real estate in December of 2009, this one for $1.6 million, bringing the total amount owed to the IRS to a whopping $3.4 million.

No word if Anthony has settled up with the feds or whether he has worked out some kind of payback schedule. A representative for the “I Need to Know” singer was unavailable for comment.

It’s not the first time Anthony’s run afoul of the taxman. In 2007, he paid $2.5 million in back taxes to federal and state governments for failing to file returns on nearly $15.5 million in income over a five-year period. And while he himself wasn’t on the hook personally, three of his corporate entities, including his touring company, did plead guilty to various tax crimes.

No doubt, this has been a difficult time for the couple, and in a joint statement given to People magazine, they said, “This was a very difficult decision. We have come to amicable conclusions on all matters.It is a painful time for all involved, and we appreciate the respect of our privacy at this time.”

The couple is still resolving financial and legal matters concerning the end of their relationship which at the time seemed no less than a fairytale romance.

WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM AFP AND REUTERS

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Published in The Express Tribune, July 17^th, 2011.