Backstreet Boys singer and dad-of-two, AJ McLean, has announced that he and his wife are separating after 18 years together.
McLean and his wife, Rochelle, confirmed the news in a joint statement in which they admitted 'marriage is hard'.
The pair tied the knot in 2011, six years after McLean first asked Rochelle out while she was working as a waitress at Saddle Ranch in West Hollywood.
Recalling his efforts during an appearance on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast in August 2022, McLean said: “I asked her out, and then she asked her manager who I was. Our first date was supposed to be dinner [and] a movie. And I worked late in the studio the night before.
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“So I was like, ‘Why don’t you just come over to the house? And we’ll watch a movie, and we’ll order in.’”
Rochelle wasn't keen the first time the Backstreet Boys star asked her out, but he managed to win her over when he made another attempt to request a date a year later, and their romance blossomed from there.
Following their wedding, the couple welcomed two children; Ava, 10, and Lyric, six.
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McLean has opened up in the past about how his wife has 'always seen the good' in him, but as they faced struggles recently, they decided to take a break from their marriage.
In a statement to Us Weekly, McLean and Rochelle said: “Marriage is hard, but worth it. We have mutually decided to separate temporarily to work on ourselves, and on our marriage with the hope of building a stronger future."
The couple assured that their plan is to 'come back together', with the hope that they will 'continue to nurture our love for one another, and our family'.
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"We ask for respect and privacy at this time," they added. "Separation is hard enough without the commentary, please be kind and remember there are children involved.”
The news comes after McLean joined the cast of Dancing With the Stars in 2020 and declared on the show that his wife was his 'superhero'.
In a blog post written for Us Weekly at the time, he added: "She has been through hell and back with me. If there was an award for everything that she does on the daily, she deserves them all.
"The greatest reward that I get from her on the daily is just a constant affirmation of love. She’s always there for me, it doesn’t matter what it is."
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McLean added at the time that things were 'the best they've ever been' for him, adding: "I couldn’t ask for anything else.”
Featured Image Credit: aj_mclean/Rochelle Deanna Mclean/InstagramTopics: Sex and Relationships, Celebrity