Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty ImagesChris Harrison is now the star of his own bachelor pad.
The longtime host of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette has separated from his wife of 18 years, Gwen Jones, E! News confirmed Thursday. The onetime high school sweethearts have two children together.
They arrived at the decision after "much heartfelt consideration," the duo said in a statement.
Oh, dear! If Harrison can't make it work, what hope is there for the men and women who depend on his guidance?!
"Though we have made this incredibly difficult decision to separate, our love and mutual respect remain, and we look forward to sharing in the lives of our wonderful children," they said.
The pair have been separated for some time but remain close friends and have been amicably sharing custody of 9-year-old son Joshua and 7-year-old daughter Taylor, per In Touch Weekly, which first broke the breakup news. They were seen together as recently as January, when Chris threw a birthday party for Gwen in Las Vegas.
Harrison, 40, has presided over 16 seasons of The Bachelor and two seasons of Bachelord Pad, and the eighth season of The Bachelorette premieres May 14 with Emily Maynard in the driver's seat.
Maynard accepted Bachelor Brad Womack's proposal at the end of The Bachelor's 15th season, but it soon became apparent that things weren't moving along ideally once Maynard refused to move to Texas to be with her supposed fiancé.
"It's absolutely easy for everybody in the magazines and radio and TV to say they're going to break up," Harrison told Reality TV World when asked if they had a chance. "I mean, that's just easy, and they're easy to take shots at. Couples always are. I mean, statistically, your neighbors are going to get divorced tomorrow."