LOS ANGELES -- After four years of marriage, Hollywood glamour couple Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston have decided to split.

The news comes from Pitt's longtime publicist, who declined to say if Pitt and Aniston plan to file for a divorce.

"We would like to announce that after seven years together we have decided to formally separate," the couple said in a statement issued to People.

The separation, first reported on People magazine's Web site, comes more than four years after the couple's Malibu wedding -- and after months of speculation that their marriage was in trouble -- speculation that the couple says was off-base.

"For those who follow these sorts of things, we would like to explain that our separation is not the result of any of the speculation reported by the tabloid media," Pitt and Aniston said in the statement to People. "This decision is the result of much thoughtful consideration. We happily remain committed and caring friends with great love and admiration for one another. We ask in advance for your kindness and sensitivity in the coming months."

People reported that Aniston has recently been photographed in public without her diamond-studded wedding ring.

Pitt and Aniston have been together since being set up on a blind date in 1998.

"Friends" star Aniston and her five castmates bid farewell in May to show after 10 years on the air.

Pitt most recently starred in "Troy" and the "Ocean's Eleven" sequel "Ocean's Twelve."