Singer-actor Ricky Martin and artist
Jwan Yosef have split.
The couple, married for six years,
first started dating in 2016.
Martin first shared the news in a
statement given to PEOPLE.
“We have decided to end our marriage
with love, respect, and dignity for our children and honoring what we
have experienced as a couple all these wonderful years,” Martin,
51, said.
“Our greatest desire now is to
continue having a healthy family dynamic and a relationship centered
on peace and friendship to continue the joint upbringing of our
children, preserving the respect and love we have for each other,”
he
added.
(Related: Ricky
Martin questions whether being openly gay hurt his acting career.)
The men share two children, Lucia and
Renn. Martin will continue to raise twins Valentino and Matteo on his
own.
Martin said in a 2018 interview that he
met Yosef, 38, on Instagram. They messaged each other for six months
before meeting.
“[W]hen I first saw him I said, 'I am
marrying this guy,'” Martin
said. “And apparently he said exactly the same thing. … But I
lost my breath when I saw him. Six months build-up and it was very
romantic.”