Ben Stiller, 51, and Christine Taylor, 45, end marriage after 18 years together, less than a year after he revealed secret battle with prostate cancer

It's over: Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor have separated after 17 years of marriage. They are pictured at the Met Gala in May 2016

Actors Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor have called it quits after 17 years of marriage.

The shock split was reported on Friday, with the pair announcing the news in a joint statement.

'With tremendous love and respect for each other, and the 18 years we spent together as a couple, we have made the decision to separate,' Stiller and Taylor told ET.

'Our priority will continue to be raising our children as devoted parents and the closest of friends. We kindly ask that the media respect our privacy at this time.'

Ben, 51 and Christine, 45, first met on the set of Fox TV pilot Heat Vision and Jack in 1999.

They married in 2000 at an oceanfront ceremony in Kauai, Hawaii and share two children, daughter Ella Olivia, 15 and son Quinlin Dempsey, 12.

'When I met her, I pretty much thought, "That's the person,"' Ben told ET in a 2007 interview. 'It was like, "Wow, this is a great person. I love her."'

Over the years the couple starred in several comedies together, including Zoolander, Zoolander 2, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Tropic Thunder and Arrested Development.

On the promo trail: The 51-year-old actor was pictured in Cannes last week with Adam Sandler for the premiere of The Meyerowitz Stories

Family affair: The last time the duo posed on the red carpet together was April 17 with daughter Ella at the Broadway opening night of Groundhog Day