Chaz Bono and Jennifer Elia have spit
after dating more than six years.
Bono confirmed the rift through his rep
in a statement released to celebrity blog TMZ.com.
“They leave this relationship with
great love, respect and affection toward one another,” publicist
Howard Bragman said. “No further amplification will be forthcoming
and they ask that you respect their privacy at this time.”
Bono's gender reassignment surgery was
chronicled in the Emmy-nominated documentary Becoming Chaz.
And his relationship with Elia was explored in the follow up film
Being Chaz, which premiered last month on Oprah Winfrey's OWN
network.
In the second film, Bono proposed
marriage to Elia on top of the Seattle Space Needle.
Bono, the child of gay icon Cher and
the late entertainer-politician Sonny Bono, created controversy when
he became the first transgender person to compete on ABC's Dancing
with the Stars. Fox News' Dr. Keith Ablow warned viewers against
allowing their children to watch Bono compete for the mirror ball
trophy because it
might cause kids to wish they were amputees. Other groups simply
complained that the network was promoting a gay agenda.