Courteney Cox, David Arquette split after 11 years of marriage

Former Friends star Courteney Cox and David Arquette, who have been married for 11 years, have confirmed they have parted ways.

The couple issued a joint statement announcing the 'trial separation' after US magazine In Touch Weekly reported the pair had split up.

And Cox, 46, and Arquette, 39, confirmed that they have actually been separated for some time.

The two met in 1996 while filming Scream and were married three years later in San Francisco. Their daughter Coco, is six years old.

In a joint statement, they said, "The reason for this separation is to better understand ourselves and the qualities we need in a partner and for our marriage. We remain best friends and responsible parents to our daughter and we still love each other deeply. As we go through this process we are determined to use kindness and understanding to get through this together. We are comfortable with the boundaries that we have established for each other during this separation and we hope that our friends, family, fans and the media also show us respect, dignity, understanding and love at this time as well."